With victory at Vernon Hills, St. Viator can smile
As she shot a free throw with 4.4 seconds left and her team clinging to a 2-point lead, St. Viator junior Haley Robinson let her face tell the story.
She smiled.
"I knew it. I felt it," said Robinson, still smiling after the game, which was understandable since fourth-seeded St. Viator had just beaten No. 5 Vernon Hills 38-34 on the Cougars' home court to capture its second Class 3A regional championship in as many years.
"We worked so hard for this," Robinson added. "All year we put in blood, sweat, tears, everything."
St. Viator (16-13) advances to the Johnsburg sectional and will play top-seeded Antioch (28-3) in Monday's 6 p.m. semifinal. It'll be a rematch of last year's sectional semifinal at St. Viator, when the home team pulled off the upset.
Myia Clark had a game-high 19 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals for the Lions, who last year at Ridgewood ended Vernon Hills' run of four straight regional championships.
Trailing 35-34 down the stretch, Vernon Hills (13-16) grabbed a missed free throw by Clark and called timeout with 10.4 seconds left. The Cougars got the ball to 6-footer Kayla Caudle (6 points, 11 rebounds) around the elbow. Double-teamed, she missed a turnaround jumper. Robinson came up with the rebound and was fouled.
"They defended it better than I was hoping," Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said. "We were looking for a fake handoff to shift the 'D' and then go. (Caudle) getting the shot was probably one of our better options."
"We knew based on the scouting report they like to attack backdoor, misdirection, or they like to throw it right in to Caudle," St. Viator coach Jason Raymond said. "We didn't expect her to come that high, but then again, she's such a great athlete, I should have expected that. I thought our defense was sound."
In a tight game throughout, Vernon Hills took a 34-29 lead when Sarah Demas (8 points) sank a 3-pointer and then scored on a drive with 5:10 left in the fourth. But the Cougars never scored again, shooting just 3 of 15 in the quarter.
"They defended real well," Brettner said of the Lions. "Credit to them. They're hard to score against. Every team has trouble with them. They're quick, they help well, and Jason does a great job with their defense."
Robinson sank her first free throw with 4.4 seconds on the clock. She missed the second but hustled down the rebound and was fouled with 0.4 seconds to go. Smiling proud, she hit both free throws.
Clark, a junior guard, got off a hefty 25 shots, making 8, including a pair of 3-pointers.
"She's a great player," said Vernon Hills forward Becky Bahlmann, who had 5 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals in the final game of her four-year varsity career. "No matter what defense you throw at her, she's always got something to respond to it. I respect athletes like that."
Robinson finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds, while teammate Jenna Breslin grabbed 8 boards. Since starting the season 3-9, St. Viator is 13-4.
"I'm just so proud of my team," Robinson said. "We've accomplished so much. We worked so hard in this game, from tip to whistle."