(MT. CARMEL) —  Mt. Carmel put an exclamation point on its’ Little Illini Conference girls basketball title sweep with a resounding 59-31 victory over Paris on Monday night.

After winning the LIC tournament championship in Marshall last month with a 55-47 win over the Lady Tigers, Mt. Carmel wasted little time in the regular-season rematch, bolting to a 9-2 lead. Ahead 25-12 at halftime, the 10th-ranked  (Class 2A) Lady Aces did it again at the outset of the third quarter, a 10-1 spurt that effectively put the game away. This battle of conference unbeatens finished with a running clock after the victory margin briefly eclipsed the 30-point mark near the finish.

“We talked about the first couple of possessions of the third quarter being  the most crucial,” said Mt. Carmel coach Matt McCarty. “We didn’t want (Paris) to see the ball go in a couple of times and start feeling good about themselves. We really stepped it up defensively and put a stop to them in the third quarter.”

Mt. Carmel, 21-7 on the season, has won or shared the regular-season league crown in each of the last three seasons, winning outright in 2026 and 2024 after sharing the title with Paris and Newton last year.

After starting the season 0-3 with a hobbled lineup, the current Aces have gotten hot at the right time, carrying a nine-game winning streak into the regular-season finale on Thursday against Wayne City. Mt. Carmel also hosts a five-team IHSA Class 2A Regional tournament starting on Saturday, coming in as a No. 1 Sectional Complex seed.

McCarty said Mt. Carmel may have been at its’ best on Monday night.

“We had a great prep session on Sunday. The girls came in, watched film, and we talked about some things,” he said. “Our defense tonight was stellar. They really struggled shooting the ball from the perimeter. We rebounded really well, and our guards were switching great. We took care of the ball a lot better tonight. I think this was probably our best game to date this season.”

Mt. Carmel was led by Macy Randall with 20 points. Riley Hershey, a junior who already owns the school record for career assists – a mark once held by former two-time Illinois Ms. Basketball Tyra Buss (Davison) – added 16 points, with Alivia Peach finishing with 12 points.

Paris (21-5), which hosts fourth-ranked (Class 1A) Brownstown-St. Elmo on Tuesday before wrapping up the regular-season at Champaign Centennial on Thursday, placed one player in double figures, Kailey Young with 10 points.

Like Mt. Carmel, Paris will also host a Class 2A Regional tournament. The Tigers are seeded third in a strong field which includes toughie Effingham St. Anthony and the other Sectional Complex No. 1 seed, Effingham.

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Also on Monday, Newton moved to 18-10 on the season with a 70-43 win over OPH. The Lady Eagles opened up a tie game by outscoring OPH, 24-5, in the second quarter to take control. Alani Bergbower led the way with 19 points, one of four players in double figures for the winners. Izzy Meinhart added 16 points, followed by Allie Hermann and Grace Schumacher, each with 11. Claire Probst finished with 10 rebounds, but finished one point shy of a double-double on the night. OPH fell to 14-12 with the loss.

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This story will be updated as more information becomes available.