Carterville bounced back from the disappointment of losing in the semifinals to Chicago Marshall by pummeling Riverdale 61-38 in the third place game. The Lady Lions jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never really looked back.

The Rams did cut the deficit to five early in the second quarter, but senior Jeniah Thompson went on a personal 7-0 that kickstarted an even bigger 19-4 stretch to close the first half with a 38-18 lead.

Riverdale made Carterville work in the second half, but the hill was too steep for the Rams.

Thompson led all scorers with 20 points, to go with six rebounds and four steals. Fellow senior Megan Barton added 17 points and seven rebounds, and Abbey Crain hit five three-pointers for 15 points. Crain’s efforts helped Carterville tie the state record for three-pointers made in a game with eight.

The Lady Lions finished with a school record 31 wins, and that third place trophy is the first girls basketball trophy in school history. Thompson, Barton and Crain finished with an incredible 117-12 combined record together.