Batavia rallies past Glenbard North
With Glenbard North sending extra defenders at Hannah Frazier, and then the referees sending Frazier to the bench with 3 first-half fouls, Batavia desperately needed someone else to step up Friday in the Class 4A Batavia regional championship game.
Enter Mackenzie Foster.
The junior guard showed no fear taking the ball at the Glenbard North defense, penetrating time and time again. She got to the free-throw line 12 times, got the Panthers in foul trouble, and ended up contributing 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals in Batavia's 50-40 come-from-behind victory.
"I was just taking it hard because the refs were calling a lot of fouls both ways," Foster said. "Coach told me to keep driving. When teams focus on Hannah we need others to step up."
Batavia (26-5) earned a much anticipated rematch with Geneva (24-4) in the Class 4A Schaumburg sectional semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Monday. The teams split their regular season meetings.
It's the fourth regional title for the Bulldogs and second in three years, one that didn't come easy.
"We all had to take a deep breath, myself probably the most," Batavia coach Kevin Jensen said after Frazier played just 1:16 of the second quarter. "It's a 4-point game. We felt if we came back and did a couple things better we'd be fine."
Glenbard North (17-11) hit 7 of 13 shots in the second quarter but just 8 of 38 (21.0 percent) the other three, including a 2-of-16 fourth quarter.
A big reason for the Panthers' success in the second quarter was the St. Louis-bound Frazier sitting on the Batavia bench. The Panthers outscored the Bulldogs 17-5 with Frazier off the court and led 25-21 at halftime; Batavia looked in control up 12-5 after one quarter before having to adjust without its star.
"We thought maybe we'd get some of their other girls panicked if we took her way," said Panthers coach John Chamberlain, who used scrappy 5-foot-5 guard Zakiya Newsome to face guard Frazier while his bigs helped behind.
"In the first half it worked. In the second half they found a couple things, and our girls were just gassed. Our legs really gave out in that fourth quarter."
Newsome's drive to open the third gave the Panthers their biggest lead, 27-21. Batavia answered with a 7-0 run capped by Shea Bayram's 17-foot jumper for a 28-27 lead.
Hannah Heier's 3 regained the lead for the Panthers only to see Hailey Orman drill a 3 to put Batavia up 31-30. Newsome and Geddy Rerko traded baskets, and then Chamberlain was whistled for a technical foul with 1:05 left in the third that led to a 5-point Batavia possession - 2 Frazier free throws and Jess Koch's 3.
"I felt the way the game was being called was not the same at both ends," said Chamberlain, whose team made 3 of 4 free throws to Batavia's 12 of 21. "It was frustration on my part and I had to vent it. Sometimes you get that one and it gets the tide to turn your way. It didn't turn out that way (Batavia was whistled for 1 foul in the second half)."
Newsome banked in a long desperation 3 to bring the Panthers within 38-35 after three quarters. They didn't score again until Leah Miller's 3-point basket with 2:35 to go, and by that time Batavia had built a 46-35 lead on 6 points from Frazier and Foster's drive.
Despite her foul trouble Frazier finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Koch added 8 points, Rerko had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, and Bethany Orman had 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
"Everyone stepped up and played their part until we could get Hannah back," Rerko said. "When we got her back things got rolling and we got up. We were running the plays, looking at the right options and finishing shots and layups. It was a great team effort."
Newsome led Glenbard North with 10 points. Jennifer Deegan grabbed 14 rebounds to go with her 9 points.