Gillespie Girls Prepare for Physical Challenge Against Marquette Catholic

ROXANA - Gillespie used a balanced effort and late execution to beat Southwestern 51-45 on Monday night, Feb. 16, 2026, in the Roxana Girls Regional semifinals.

Gillespie will face Marquette on Thursday. Gillespie Coach Nikki Branwer said the matchup will be physical.

“Thursday’s game against Marquette is going to be a very physical battle,” she said. “Defense and rebounding are going to be key.”

Gillespie is 17-12 overall entering Thursday night’s Roxana Regional championship game, and Marquette is 18-11.

Amari Vickrey scored 15 points to lead Gillespie against Southwestern, and in the process reached 512 points for the season to break Mia Brawner’s single-season record of 501 set in 2024. Sloane Brawner added 13 points for Gillespie, while Sadie Sholtis and Maggie Heyen scored seven points apiece for their team.

Gillespie coach Nickki Brawner credited Southwestern coach Darren Mosley and his team with a solid performance after the game against her squad.

“They had a great game plan, and I thought his girls played incredibly hard,” Coach Brawner said.

Coach Brawner said her team’s defense was a deciding factor.

“It is hard to beat a team 3 times in a season, but defense got them the win,” she said. “Sloane and Gillian had some big 3’s and clutched free throws late in the 4th quarter.”

Coach Brawner also pointed to Vickrey’s playmaking and work on the boards from multiple players.

“Amari (Vickrey) attacked well offensively and made some great passes,” she said. “Maggie (Heyen) and Sadie (Sholtis) worked hard on the boards, and both had a great game.”

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