Glenbard West solidifies Silver lead with win at York
As much as Glenbard West junior guard Katelyn Heller was gasping for breath in the fourth quarter Friday night, she didn't want even a quick rest. The game meant too much.
Glenbard West came from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat York 49-42 in Elmhurst. The win gave the Hilltoppers a two-game lead over the Dukes in the West Suburban Silver, and Glenbard West can clinch a share of the league title if it defeats Downers Grove North on Saturday night.
The victory also ran the Hilltoppers' winning streak to 17 games.
So yeah, Heller very much wanted to stay on the court and chase York leading scorer Danielle Dennis on the Hilltoppers' defensive end.
"At first (I wanted to rest), but I just kind of zoned out," Heller said. "We have a couple of minutes left, this game is super close and this is a big game for us since they're second in conference."
York (15-8, 7-3) looked good when junior Kathleen Levins converted a three-point play with 5:34 to go for a 39-36 Dukes lead. But York went cold the rest of the way. The Dukes didn't score again until senior Caylin Rufus' three-point play with 10.9 seconds to go ended an 11-point Glenbard West run.
"That whole second half they beat us," York coach Brandon Collings added. "Offensive boards killed us. They didn't do much of anything from the outside. Everything they got was inside, mostly off offensive rebounds, putbacks."
The offense came at the right time for the Hilltoppers (21-3, 8-1).
"They're 21-3 because they do a great job finishing off games," Collings said. "They've had a lot of close ones that they've finished off and won all of those. We had a chance to do it and didn't do what we needed to do."
In a game with five ties and seven lead changes, the Hilltoppers took the lead for good with 3:13 to play in the fourth quarter when Taylor Huff's basket made it 40-39. Jamiyah Thomas converted a putback, and with 1:12 to go Heller drove the lane to make it 44-39.
Hilltoppers senior guard Sammy Harris converted 4 of 5 free throws in the final minute to put the game out of reach.
Dennis finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds to lead York.
"She's a good player," Heller said of Dennis. "I played with her on travel (with Evolution), so we know (each other). It's fun guarding her. She's a good player."
Rufus added 10 points and 7 rebounds for York.
Taylor Huff's 17 points and 9 rebounds led Glenbard West
"I thought our team stuck together the whole game and stayed positive," Hilltoppers coach Kristi Faulkner said. "We knew York was going to make runs, and senior night they had a lot of emotion, too, being at home."