It's been such a long time since Mooseheart won a girls basketball playoff game, you just knew victory wouldn't come easily. But victory, when it arrived on Tuesday with a 37-36 nailbiter over Illinois Lutheran was met with jumping, hugging and sustained yelling.

And who could blame the Ramblers? Mooseheart hadn't won a in the playing career of any of the current roster members. It also hadn't happened in any of their lifetimes.

In fact, Tuesday's opening-round victory in the Immaculate Conception Regional ended a 20-year playoff victory drought. Mooseheart last won a girls' postseason game back in 1988 against the Illinois Math & Science Academy. The Ramblers (11-12) now face the host school on Thursday for the regional championship.

"It motivates us because it's been awhile since we won a regional game," Mooseheart freshman Katie Stryker said. "People were crying on the bench scared that we were going to lose - especially our senior."

That senior is Ruthfee Kollie, who scored 12 points and found tears of joy at the final buzzer instead of the career-ending sadness that has met the end of her previous high school seasons.

"I was just so nervous," Kollie said. "I didn't think it was going to be my last game. I knew it wouldn't be my last game." Kollie's season, and the careers of all Mooseheart's players, was extended by at least 48 hours. And it took a clutch three-point basket from Kim Phillips to do it.

Phillips had just entered the contest. The Ramblers had the ball out of bounds with 28 seconds to go, trailing 36-34. The ball came to Phillips on top edge of the three-point arc on the left wing. The junior launched -- and sank the shot.

"Oh, I was praying, 'please go in, please go in,'" Phillips said. "I did it for our senior (Kollie) because this could have been her last game."

Although she had just entered the contest and the ball came to her, the play was not exactly designed to end with her shooting a three-pointer -- though that was one of many options.

"It usually happens that way," Phillips said. "Sometimes I shoot it and sometimes I don't. That time, I felt like I needed to."

Mooseheart had to recover twice in the second half. Though the Ramblers led 19-12 at halftiime, Illinois Lutheran rallied and took a 24-23 lead late in the quarter.

But the Ramblers fought back, indeed gave themselves an eight-point cushion, 31-23 with 6:25 to play, when Stryker scored from a Kollie pass.

But Illinois Lutheran wouldn't go away, tying the game at 33-33 and 34-34, then taking the lead on a Sam Uher layup. Phillips' three-pointer was the final basket by either team.

"Having a win like that is a great motivator," Mooseheart coach Bryan Miller said. "It was a win, but it wasn't the kind of win you want at this time of the year."

Mooseheart's game was its first in nearly a week. The final two games of the season were cancelled due to bad weather.

"I think our rustiness didn't show in the first two quarters," Miller said. "I think it showed down the stretch."

Immaculate Conception blew out Chicagoland Jewish 61-13 in the other regional semifinal. The contest was never close with the Knights leading 20-1 after the first quarter and Chicagoland Jewish suffering a shutout in the second quarter.

Nicolette Lullo and Mary Kate Manion led a balanced Immaculate Conception attack with eight points apiece.

Mooseheart now takes on the homestanding Immaculate Conception in the regional final, at 7 p.m. CST Thursday.