Dundee-Crown nabs first regional since 2003

Sarah Miller was a sophomore playing basketball at Mundelein High School, and most of the current Dundee-Crown girls basketball players hadn't touched more than a nerf ball the last time the Chargers won a regional championship.

But all that changed at Elgin's Chesbrough Field House Thursday night when D-C beat District 300 rival Jacobs 57-50 in the Class 4A Elgin regional title game, D-C's first piece of postseason hardware since 2003.

"We said it's been over a decade and we looked at it as an opportunity to make history and bring the pride back," said Miller, the Chargers' second-year coach. "D-C has a great history but it's been a long time since they tasted success."

Now the Chargers (17-15) hope they can continue the run when they take on Rockford Boylan at 7 p.m. Monday in the semifinals of the Rockford Guilford sectional. Boylan beat Hononegah 49-27 for the Hononegah regional title. Huntley will play either Cary-Grove or Crystal Lake South in the Tuesday semifinal at Guilford.

Early on Thursday it looked like top-seeded D-C would have to wait until another year for a regional title as No. 3 Jacobs (12-16) jumped out to a 9-0 lead. The Chargers went nearly six minutes without scoring but trailed just 10-6 after the first quarter.

"Once we weren't hitting our shots we put our heads down a little until coach called time out and settled us down," said Chargers' senior Creighton Fed.

And once the Chargers settled down, they also took over.

Trailing 16-10 after back-to-back 3-pointers by Jacobs senior Jenny Barnec, D-C went on a 12-0 run to end the first half with a 22-16 lead. Seniors Jesania Laboy and Kayla Lawrence sparked the run, combining for 13 points in the quarter.

"In the beginning we weren't working together and using our strengths," said Laboy. "We knew we had to get ourselves together. When we have fun we do our best and that's what we were focused on."

Barnec scored 4 points and Jessica Powell hit a 3-pointer as the Golden Eagles opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run and the game stayed close through most of the third quarter until D-C went on an 8-1 run, closed out by a Laboy basket with eight seconds left that gave the Chargers a 41-33 lead going into the fourth quarter.

D-C extended the lead to as much as 53-39 after a Laboy basket with 3:50 left to play but the Golden Eagles had one last comeback in mind, scoring 8 straight points to get within 6, 53-47, with 57 seconds left.

Fed hit 2 free throws with 47 seconds to go but Powell nailed a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left to make it 55-50. D-C missed the front end of a one-and-one with 17 seconds to go but Barnec's long 3-pointer was short at the other end and senior Lauren Lococo made 2 free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Chargers.

"Credit to Jacobs," said Miller, whose team beat the Eagles three times this season. "We knew they'd battle back. I'm just super proud of our kids for not hanging their heads early. They believed in each other and we had a lot of players step up today. I'm proud of our effort to finish it. We found a way to get it done and when it comes down to the end of the season you gotta find a way to get it done and we did."

Laboy was a difference-maker for the Chargers, scoring a game-high 22 points and pulling down 14 rebounds as D-C owned a massive 43-22 edge on the boards.

"We just said we gotta go with her inside," Miller said of the 5-foot-10 Laboy. "Even though she's not that tall she's tough in the paint."

"It feels amazing," Laboy said of the championship. "We've had so many people write us off and we knew that hard work pays off. It's the greatest feeling in the world."

Fed, who transferred to D-C from Yorkville this year, added 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, Lococo had 11 points and 5 boards and Lawrence 9 points and 9 rebounds for the Chargers.

"Creighton did a great job of attacking the basket and Jess was huge on the boards," Miller said. "She did what she was supposed to do."

Barnec had 15 points to lead Jacobs. Talia Surges added 12 and sophomore Carly Sidor had 8.

"Give them credit," said Jacobs coach Joe Benoit of the Chargers. "They're playing real well right now. I'm proud of our kids. Two years ago we had three wins and now 12 wins and seven points from a regional championship. This night won't define us. I can't thank the seniors enough for what they've done. Our program is back competing for championships and that's the expectation from here on out."