Gracie Jensen will be back. So will Marian Catholic. And the never-say-die has been cast. ‘This one sets the tone.’

PONTIAC — She had the whole game plan in her head to be sure.

But Marian Catholic’s Gracie Jensen knew one thing on her own Monday night.

“It was going to be tough,” she said.

It was a game completely suited to Jensen’s makeup. And she certainly did leave it all on the floor during the Spartans’ 37-34 loss to Peoria in the Class 3A Pontiac Supersectional.

Madison Davis led the way for Marian Catholic (28-6) with nine points and four rebounds. Alainna Poisson and Taylor Bolton added seven points apiece. Khamille Jackson contributed six points and nine rebounds.

Denali Craig-Edwards had 14 points and five rebounds for Peoria (29-3). Aaliyah Guyton added 10 points. The Lions advance to a 10 a.m. Friday state semifinal against Nazareth.

Jensen, a 5-foot-9 sophomore forward, was pretty much herself in one of Marian’s grittiest games this season.

In addition to two points and four rebounds, she was a steady catch-and-pass player during the Spartans’ offensive sets. She also emerged victorious in a handful of scrambles for loose balls.

Typical Jensen.

“We were excited and ready to battle,” she said. “I’m OK with my role. I like being there and doing what I do. I like to rebound because it’s a start to our offense.

“I know that rebounding and pushing the ball up the floor is the way to start getting points.”

If the Spartans felt at all like the underdog against Peoria, Jensen gave them reason to believe right from the start.

She scored, she scrambled, she rebounded. And Marian Catholic rode her early push to a 15-12 halftime lead.

“She just works extremely hard,” Davis said of Jensen. “I think she knew that she was going to have to work for everything this season and she showed that she can really step up.

“She rebounds for us. The other girl can be 6-foot-5 and she’ll still get the rebound. She gets the offense going. She does just a little bit of everything. Every team needs a kid like that.”

Marian Catholic coach Dan Murray brought Jensen up to the varsity halfway through her freshman season. She saw limited time but was part of the mix as the Spartans advanced to a Class 3A supersectional.

This season, she has been a starter from the get-go.

“Gracie has just been a rock for us in terms of doing the dirty work,” Murray said. “She’s not flashy. She doesn’t take many shots, obviously, but she’s happy to do all of the little things you need to be successful.

“We brought her up last season and she really didn’t play a lot, but we did it through anticipation that she would play a bigger role this season.”

All season, Davis has hovered around the 20-point mark. She was the MVP of the Hillcrest Holiday Classic.

She was often the finishing touch on Jensen’s undercover work.

“Madison works so hard,” Jensen said. “She works for everything she’s got. But she makes sure everyone else is the best that they can be. She’s always looking for everyone else’s shot before she gets her own.

“She’s also somebody you can go and talk to. She’s there for everyone.”

Last season, the Spartans lost to Morton 49-40 in the Streator Supersectional. This season, they were six points closer.

“I think we took a big step up,” Davis said. “Last year we had a rough start and we kind of got our feet back. I feel like this one we were in it the whole way. We just kind of lost it in the turnover battle.

“I think this one sets the tone. We’re a really young team. We’re going to return next season and be even better and hungrier for a trip downstate.”