WILMINGTON — Seneca led top-seeded Aurora Christian for most of Thursday's Class 2A Wilmington Girls Basketball Regional championship game, but the Eagles managed to lead when it mattered.

Aurora Christian defeated the Lady Irish 49-43 in what was a two-point game with as little as 20 seconds left to play. The Eagles won their first-ever regional title and move onto next week's Somonauk Sectional.

Seneca bows out at 16-18 overall, but it led at the end of the first and second quarters and went back ahead early in the fourth. Not until Natasha Brown made a putback basket with 2:59 to play did the Eagles go ahead to stay. Seneca was held scoreless for more than half of the fourth quarter — a span that streched from a Danielle Hauch layup with with 6:21 left until Molly Novotney made two free throws with 1:44 to play.