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Don’t look now, but Eastern is Pekin at the right time.

This rather simple, if not entirely predictable, play on words is brought to you by Class 2A girls’ basketball state finalist Eastern (Pekin), winners of 10 of its last 12 games.

Coached by Taylor Drury, a starting senior forward on the program’s 2017 state championship squad, the Musketeers (20-7) play Oak Hill (24-3) at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Ironically, it was the same Golden Eagles’ program Eastern defeated nine years ago on the big stage, 42-31.

A lot of déjà vu going on with this matchup.

“I just feel like if I were to dream about this that this is exactly how it would play out,” said Drury, 26, who is in her fourth season. “It’s very bizarre. It’s very weird, but good. Being a coach at Eastern was always the goal for me.

“I’m very lucky to have that, and, obviously, we’re always hope and dream that we get a chance here at the end of the season.”

Senior Sidney Burton, a 5-10 forward, leads the Musketeers in scoring (12.7), rebounds (7.3), and assists (7.0). After Saturday, she shifts her attention to a different type of court as a women’s tennis recruit to IU Southeast.

“I just think we have a good group of girls. We have shooters, guards who take care of the ball and good posts to defend,” said Burton. “We’ve really worked on communicating this season, and just the things we need to work on in order to succeed.”

The Class 2A State Championship featuring Eastern (Pekin) (20-7) and Oak Hill (24-3) will stream via PPV on IHSAAtv.org this Saturday at approximately 12:45 pm ET / 11:45 CT!

Addie Smith, a 5-7 senior guard, sports an 11.9 scoring average to go along with her 4.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds. Junior guard Katie Hauner, who stands 5-10, scores 9.1 per outing, while 5-6 sophomore guard Bailee Robbins (8.3) and 5-7 senior guard/forward Avery Smith (4.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) are among the team’s main contributors.

Eastern (Pekin) has been in nine games decided by seven or fewer points this season, including its regional and two semistate victories.

“I feel like this year it’s been our toughness both mentally and physically on the court,” said Addie Smith. “It’s been a main focus in practice and in games. At the beginning of the season, it was a little rough, but we really started drilling it in practice, and I think it’s gone better.”

While the Musketeers have grown accustomed to close games down the stretch, Oak Hill has been defeating opponents by an average of 29.93 points, the fifth-highest mark among girls’ basketball teams in Indiana this season.

The Golden Eagles are the younger of the two squads, one led by 6-1 sophomore post Brianna Dailey, who averages 15.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. Junior forward Morgan Cates (7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg) is 5-11, while 5-7 junior guard Kora Pond averages 7.4 points per outing.

After that it’s the junior guard trio of Landri Hardman (6.2), Lilly Edwards (6.0), and Erika Newhouse (4.3). The 5-8 Newhouse is second on the team in rebounds (5.9); Hardman tops Oak Hill in assists (5.2).

On paper, it might appear coach Kerri Barcomb's group is a year away, yet here it is.

“I knew this team had it in them. I think everybody else kept saying ‘Next year’. But we’ve got a group of girls who love to play together, play extremely hard and love to compete,” said Barcomb. “Honestly, to see the community come out to semistate, the support that we’ve had … Oak Hill may be a small community, but they show up big and they show up loud.”

Daily and Newhouse have, at best, vague recollections of their program’s loss to Eastern in the 2A final nine years ago. Oak Hill’s 2019 state championship victory over Winchester, 54-42, is fresher in their minds.

“I remember being here, and that was a dream of mine to be on that court one day. It’s kind of unreal,” said Newhouse. “I think it’s because of how close we are on and off the court. We have a really good bond, so we have a good team chemistry on the court.”

Added Dailey: “Our goals were to get out of our sectional because last year we lost. On and off the court, we’re all best friends, and we all just get along so well. We have had our ups and downs, but we just get past that because we’re basically family at this point.”

Tying it all together is Barcomb, a Marion High School graduate who was an assistant coach for the Indiana Wesleyan University women’s basketball program when the Wildcats capped the 2012-2013 season with an NAIA national championship.

She was previously a player at IWU, helping the program advance to the NAIA national championship tournament. In other words, both she and her coaching counterpart on Saturday, Drury, know a thing or three about pressure moments.

Drury’s Musketeers’ squad certainly will provide its share.

“They’ve got some good mixes of Whitko and Bremen, who we just played (at semi-state). They are a very athletic team that can shoot outside, and they play multiple defenses,” said Barcomb. “I know there is a little history with Oak Hill and Eastern (Pekin).”

And more about to be made.