advertisement

Burlington Central survives Kaneland's upset bid

It may not be March just yet but it sure was madness.

For the better part of 30 minutes Wednesday night, Kaneland's girls basketball team worked the Sycamore gymnasium into a frenzy and had social media abuzz as the Knights looked like they were going to pull off the upset of the season.

But high school basketball games are 32 minutes and down the stretch top-seeded and No. 2 ranked Burlington Central used its postseason experience, as well as a sense of urgency the Rockets haven't had to show in a long time, to survive.

Central scored the final 10 points of the game and overcame as much as a 12-point deficit late in the third quarter to slip past the Knights 44-38 and advance to play the host school at 7 p.m. Friday in the championship game of the Class 3A Sycamore regional. The second-seeded Spartans (26-2) beat Hampshire 46-38 in Wednesday's second semifinal.

"Wow," said BC coach Mark Smith with a sigh of relief. "At the (end of the third) quarter I just asked them, 'have you been in a 10-point comeback before? I have, and we're gonna do it.' "

"Our kids played their hearts out tonight," said Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe. "The last couple minutes their experience was more than ours and I thought that was the difference."

The Rockets (26-3) mounted their comeback with relentless pressure defense and by getting to the free-throw line, something they didn't do a single time until junior Shelby Holt brought her team within 1, 38-37, with 2:01 to play when she scored on a spin move in the paint, was fouled and made the free throw.

From there, the free-throw line became the Rockets' best friend. Senior Alison Colby, who had another monster game on the boards with 14 rebounds, put BC ahead for good 39-38 when she was fouled after a rebound on the defensive end and made 2 free throws.

Kaneland turned the ball over twice and missed the front end of a one-and-one in the final 1:18 while senior Aly DeTamble, Colby and junior Kayla Ross (9 points) made 5 of 6 from the line in the final 30 seconds to let the Rockets' sizable fan base finally breathe.

"I'm just glad we're playing Friday night," said Smith, whose team is seeking its third straight regional title Friday. "At this point it's just win and advance. We're going to look ahead but we don't want to get into that situation again. Hopefully this is a learning experience."

The teachers for most of the game were the Knights (18-10), who were more aggressive on the boards, found seems in the BC defense, and played some stifling defense themselves. Through three quarters the Rockets were just 9-for-39 (23 percent) shooting including 6 of 25 from 3-point range and much of that was due to Kaneland contesting every shot. Meanwhile the Knights were 13 of 33 (39 percent) through three quarters and only turned the ball over 8 times.

But the Rockets went 5-for-11 in the fourth quarter, including 2 of 4 from beyond the arc. Holt (9 points) hit one of those to open the quarter and junior Sam Pryor (15 points, 6 rebounds) the other to draw the Rockets within 2, 36-34, with 2:52 to play.

"We just looked up and realized we had to start playing sometime and the fourth quarter we just got out there and did what we had to do," said Holt, who twice in the fourth quarter had to come out of the physical game, once with a cut over her eye and once for a cut on her knee.

"We weren't ready to play and that carried through the first three quarters. It won't happen again. We learned our lesson."

Kaneland managed to make just 1 of 7 shots in the fourth quarter and had 6 turnovers as the Rockets turned up the defensive pressure.

"Losing wasn't an option at this point," said Colby, who had 9 points and is now 11 short of 1,000 for her career. "Our team really realized this game that we need to stick together and play as one. We hate this feeling. I looked in everyone's eyes and this won't happen again. This can't happen again."

Sophomore Morgan Weber led Kaneland with 11 points, while junior Bailey Crimmins added 9. Senior Ally VanBogaert, one of only two seniors on the team, had 7 points as did junior Camri Conley, who also had 8 rebounds. Junior Vanessa Gould also had 8 rebounds for the Knights.

"We talked a lot about the will to win and we're really proud of their effort," said Colombe. "We look at where we started the year and we've made great strides. We have a lot of kids coming back and hopefully this will motivate them. There's a lot of positives but it's still a heartbreaker. We wanted to shock 'em and move on."

Images: Burlington Central vs. Kaneland, girls basketball

  Burlington Central's Sam Pryor hits a late 3-pointer against Kaneland Wednesday in the Class 3A Sycamore regional. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Burlington Central's Shelby Holt knocks her head against the hardwood as she fights for a loose ball with Kaneland's Morgan Weber Wednesday in the Class 3A Sycamore regional. Holt left the game briefly for treatment and returned with a bandage. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Kaneland's Camri Conley drives between Burlington Central's Aly DeTamble, Shelby Holt and Alison Colby Wednesday in the Class 3A Sycamore regional. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Kaneland's Bailey Crimmins and Burlington Central's Alison Colby fight for a rebound Wednesday in the Class 3A Sycamore regional. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Kaneland's Morgan Weber and Burlington Central's Alison Colby reach for a rebound Wednesday in the Class 3A Sycamore regional. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Burlington Central's Kayla Ross guards Kaneland's Morgan Weber late in the game Wednesday in the Class 3A Sycamore regional. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Burlington Central's Aly DeTamble controls a breakaway against Kaneland's Vanessa Gould Wednesday in the Class 3A Sycamore regional. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Burlington Central's Shelby Holt shoots against Kaneland's Morgan Weber and Jennifer Weber Wednesday in the Class 3A Sycamore regional. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.