The postseason begins this weekend for many high school girls basketball squads, with local teams hoping all those hours spent practicing and playing in the gym can result in some hardware for the trophy case.

Gibault (17-11) picked up a 40-18 win at home Monday over Dupo, getting 19 points from junior sharpshooter Olivia Biffar. She made six three-pointers on the night to surpass the school record for most in a single season at 65. 

Karmon Grohmann added 10 points for the Hawks.

Last Wednesday, it was a 56-35 win for Gibault over Red Bud. Grohmann, a senior, poured in 29 to surpass 1,000 career points. Emelia Doerr added 11 points.

Grohmann leads the team in scoring this season at 17.4 points per game to go along with 6.1 rebounds and 3.2 steals per contest.

Biffar is averaging 10.4 points per game, including 32 percent shooting from three-point range.

Gibault played at Althoff on Tuesday and concludes its regular season Wednesday at Sparta before hosting a Class 1A regional starting Saturday against Madison at 11 a.m. With a win on Saturday, the Hawks would host the winner of Valmeyer vs. Trico on Monday night.

Valmeyer (0-11) lost 49-30 to Steeleville on Thursday, getting eight points from sophomore Anna Ewing and a seven-point, 16-rebound night from senior Kadence Seitz.

The Pirates hosted Maryville Christian on Tuesday, host Red Bud on Wednesday and play Thursday at Dupo prior to Saturday’s regional game at Trico.

Prior to Monday’s loss at Gibault, Dupo (9-13) suffered a 43-40 defeat Thursday against New Athens despite 18 points from Addison Mitchell. 

Last Wednesday, Dupo won 42-36 over Bunker Hill. Mitchell scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Tigers, who played Tuesday at Collegiate Medicine & Bioscience before hosting Valmeyer this Thursday night. 

The Tigers open regional play Saturday at New Athens, with the winner facing Okawville on Monday at Gibault for a berth in next week’s regional final.

Columbia (14-12) endured a 56-20 loss to Breese Central on Thursday, shooting just 19 percent from the floor in the process. 

The Eagles hosted Triad on Tuesday and host Roxana on Thursday before opening Class 2A regional play this Saturday at home against Greenville. With a win, Columbia would travel to face Breese Central again on Monday. 

Leading the way in scoring this season for Columbia are seniors Ava Mathews and Kinley Jany at 13 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. Addison Dewilde, a freshman, is averaging nearly 11 points per contest. 

Waterloo (13-16) picked up a convincing 61-20 win on Monday over East St. Louis, getting 12 points from senior Mallory Thompson and 10 more from senior Sam Juelfs. 

On Friday, the Bulldogs lost 56-38 at Civic Memorial. Waterloo was outscored 32-16 in the second half. Thompson again led the way with 14 points.

Waterloo will play at Mississippi Valley Conference foe Jerseyville this Friday night. 

The Bulldogs enter Class 3A Carbondale Regional play with a Tuesday night contest against the host squad. 

Thompson is the leading scorer this season for Waterloo at 11.1 points per game. She’s also averaging 5.5 rebounds per contest.