Hayden Quinlan, one of eight St. Thomas More senior girls basketball players, approached Cougars coach Jeanne Kenney ahead of Thursday's Division I select bi-district playoff game against No. 20 Warren Easton.
Kenney was leaning towards holding Quinlan out of the game after she was injured in practice, but the senior forward had other ideas.
"She said, 'Coach, nothing is going to stop me (from playing),'" recalled Kenney. "She has so much grit. She's a workhorse at the top of our zone and the top of our press."
Quinlan finished with six points for No. 13 St. Thomas More, which breezed past the Eagles 49-29 and will face No. 4 Huntington for the second straight year. The Raiders (16-6), a No. 1 seed last season, had a first round bye.
"I have a great group of eight seniors," said Kenney, who is in her first season at STM. "Seven were able to play tonight. A couple (Quinlan and Ava Roger) were fighting injuries and did their jobs to put themselves in position to play tonight with rehab. I'm so proud of how they collectively play together. They've been playing together a long time."
Senior Brynnan Boyd, who greeted each of the starting five during pre-game introductions, suffered a season-ending injury weeks ago. Roger scored the first five points of the third quarter and finished with 10. When she went down after a hard fall on her back in the second half, the crowd was on the edge of its seats.
"She has back problems and fell on her back," Kenney said of the senior, a dual-sport standout in volleyball. "She's OK. Ava had a great week of prep. We felt confident putting her in, and she delivered."
Kate-Camille Tatman, as usual, led the Cougars in scoring. The senior connected on 5 of 7 field goals and 5 of 6 free throws as STM turned a 19-11 halftime lead into a 33-13 cushion by the end of the third quarter.
"She's been solid for us all year," Kenney said of Tatman. "She had a great game in the playoffs. That's a great time to have a great game."
Senior center Annemarie Blanc and senior point guard Blaire McCauley scored six points apiece. Sophomore Virginia Blanchard had five points for the Cougars (19-9).
McCauley assisted on a Roger bucket in the third quarter, then added a free throw. Blanchard's basket put the Cougars ahead 26-14. Tatman tacked on a second-chance shot, Quinlan scored down low, and McCauley nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key as the Cougars outscored Easton in the third 14-2.
"We've been talking with Virginia about being decisive," Kenney said. "This is a game where she executed that very well. I'm excited for her future."
The Eagles (11-18), who dressed out six players, were paced by Jalyn Newman's 22 points, 13 of which were scored in the fourth quarter. Easton was held to two field goals in each of the first two quarters and one in the third.
"Our defense has been our best offense with the pressure we provide," Kenney said. "When we have easy lay-ups, we have to convert. (Assistant coach) Eric Miller told them after the game that we have to be able to make lay-ups, rebound the ball and make free throws in a playoff situation.
"We did all three. We were pretty efficient. I'm super-proud of them. Huntington is a very good team. This team faced them last year in the quarterfinals. We've been watching them. They have a lot of good pieces. It will definitely be a challenge."
Rachel Hebert and Emma Kate Savoie are also senior players for STM.