SOMONAUK — The St. Bede Lady Bruins had a tough matchup going into Thursday night’s sectional against the Byron Lady Tigers. They played well in the first half. But things got away from them in the third quarter, and Byron went on to win the game by a wide margin 58-38.

“Well, if you would have told me yesterday it would be a three-point game at half time, I would have told you I’d take that. I’d say that’s what we wanted, a first half in the 20s. That’s a credit to the girls. They came out and executed very well,” Bruins’ coach Tom McGunnigal said.

“They had a lot of energy and patience. They hit shots and rebounded well. Byron put a little bit of a stretch on us in the third quarter when Mo Dean went out. Those two girls inside, Ellie Lehne and Sophie Reecher, are tough, especially Reecher. She really wanted it and willed the ball in. They hit some big threes when they were open. You kind of pick your poison there. Byron is a very good team. I fully expect to see them at ISU next weekend.”