Coach Sykes: Defensive Effort Proves Decisive Factor in Marquette Catholic's Regional Semifinal Victory Over Roxana Girls

Roxana's Daisy Daugherty ends legendary career with scoring record of 1,474 points.

Feb 17, 2026 10:43 AM Feb 17, 2026 11:10 AM

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ROXANA — Marquette Catholic used a strong defensive effort to secure a 35-31 girls regional semifinal win over Roxana, leading 23-13 at halftime, as Daisy Daugherty scored 15 points in her final game as a Shells player.

Marquette Catholic coach Whitney Sykes said the Explorers' defensive effort was the key to the victory.

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“We played a great defensive game,” Sykes said. “Laila Davis had an extreme challenge in guarding Daughtery, and she still scored 10 points on top of it. The win was definitely a team effort. I am really proud of them.”

For Marquette Catholic, Davis scored 10 points, Delaney Ortmann had nine, Allie Weiner added seven, and Chayse Strickland scored six.

Daugherty’s 15 points led Roxana, and Kylee Slayden added nine.

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Daugherty finished her career with 1,474 points overall. She became the sixth Shells player to score 1,000 points in early and broke the previous school mark held by Maddy Sheraka in 2015 at the Carrollton Hawks Tournament on Jan. 27, 2026.

Gillespie won the other semifinal contest over Southwestern 51-45 on Monday night at Roxana.

Marquette Catholic and Gillespie collide at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, for the Roxana Regional title.