Mooseheart ends playoff drought

It's been such a long time since Mooseheart won a girls basketball playoff game, you just knew victory wouldn't come easily.

But victory, when it arrived on Tuesday with a 37-36 nailbiter over Illinois Lutheran was met with jumping, hugging and sustained yelling.

And who could blame the Ramblers? Mooseheart hadn't won a in the playing career of any of the current roster members. It also hadn't happened in any of their lifetimes.

In fact, Tuesday's opening-round victory in the Immaculate Conception Regional ended a 20-year playoff victory drought. The Ramblers (11-12) fact the host school on Thursday for the regional championship.

"It motivates us because it's been awhile since we won a regional game," Mooseheart freshman Katie Stryker said. "People were crying on the bench scared that we were going to lose -- especially our senior."

That senior is Ruthfee Kollie, who scored 12 points and found tears of joy at the final buzzer instead of the career-ending sadness that has met the end of her previous high school seasons.

"I was just so nervous," Kollie said. "I didn't think it was going to be my last game. I knew it wouldn't be my last game."

Kollie's season, and the careers of all Mooseheart's players, was extended by at least 48 hours. And it took a clutch three-point basket from Kim Phillips to do it.

Phillips had just entered the contest. The Ramblers had the ball out of bounds with 28 seconds to go trailing 36-34. The ball came to Phillips on top edge of the three-point arc on the left wing. The junior launched, and sank the shot.

"Oh, I was praying 'please go in, please go in,'" Phillips said. "I did it for our senior (Kollie) because this could have been her last game."

Although she had just entered the contest and the ball came to her, the play was not exactly designed to end with her shooting a 3-pointer, though that was one of many options.

"It usually happens that way," Phillips said. "Sometimes I shoot it and sometimes I don't. That time, I felt like I needed to."

Mooseheart had to recover twice in the second half. Leading 19-12 at halftime, Illinois Lutheran rallied and took a 24-23 lead late in the quarter.

But the Ramblers rallied and were ahead 31-23 with 6:25 to play when Stryker scored from a Kollie pass.

Illinois Lutheran found its own rally, tied the game at 33-33 and 34-34, then took the lead on a Sam Uher layup.

Phillips' 3-pointer was the final basket by either team.

"Having a win like that is a great motivator," Mooseheart coach Bryan Miller said. "It was a win, but it wasn't the kind of win you want at this time of the year."

Mooseheart's game was its first in nearly a week. The final two games of the season were canceled due to bad weather.

"I think our rustiness didn't show in the first two quarters," Miller said. "I think it showed down the stretch."

Immaculate Conception blew out Chicagoland Jewish 61-13 in the other regional semifinal. The contest was never close with the Knights leading 20-1 after the first quarter and Chicagoland Jewish suffering a shutout in the second quarter.

Nicolette Lullo and Mary Kate Manion led a balanced Immaculate Conception attack with 8 points apiece.

-- Darryl Mellema

Rosary 66, Plainfield Central 50: With their 21st win, the Royals set a school record for wins in a season. Jordan Rettig led the way with 22 points and Faith Jones added 13.

South Elgin 60, Bartlett 55:ŒSouth Elgin sophomore Lindsey Helton grew up in a hurry.

With Storm starting point guard Genevieve Johnson out of the lineup because of family reasons, Helton was running the show.

And run it she did.

The sophomore scored 9 of her 11 points in the fourth quarter of the Storm's 60-55 Upstate Eight Conference girls basketball victory over Bartlett Tuesday night in South Elgin.

"I'm from Bartlett, so I wanted to beat them really bad," said Helton, who found out she would be starting on Tuesday morning. "I was comfortable in the beginning (of the game), then in the middle I got frustrated. I got more comfortable at the end."

As Helton's comfort level rose, so did the Storm's. After consecutive South Elgin turnovers had brought Bartlett (8-18, 4-5) back to within 55-51 with 1:37 remaining, Helton nabbed one of her 4 steals, ran the length of the court and put the Storm (14-12, 5-5) up 57-51. She finished the fourth quarter going 4 of 5 from the floor, including banking in a 3-pointer to make it 54-45 with 3:14 left. Helton was 0 of 6 from the floor in the first 3 periods.

"Lindsey really grew up tonight," said Storm coach Tim Prendergast, whose team assured itself of now worse than a .500 season with the win. "She played heavy minutes. She's a sophomore and I told her tonight she became a junior."

Another real junior gave the Storm a boost early in the period. Center Courtney Kumerow (16 points, 10 rebounds) converted a pair of 3-point plays in the fourth period.

Senior Alexa Kruel closed the game out for the Storm when she sank a pair of free throws with 12.7 seconds remaining extending South Elgin's lead from 58-55 to 60-55.

"We tried really hard, but we couldn't finish," said Kruel, who finished with 11 points, 3 steals and an assist. "(Tonight) we scored 6 points in the first quarter and finished with 60."

Bartlett made it a one-possession game when Alexa Tovella made a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left. Tovella also brought the Hawks to within 55-51 when she scored on the Storm's second straight turnover with 1:37 left to go.

Freshman center Jacki Gulczynski helped Bartlett stay in the game when she put in 8 of her team-high 14 points in the third quarter.

Gulczynski (8 rebounds) went 4 of 6 in the third period after shooting 1 of 7 in the first half. The freshman finished the second half 5 of 8. But it was the Hawks' defensive effort that had coach Denise Sarna upset after the game.

"We gave up way too many points," she said. "I was excited in the first quarter when we held them to 6 points. Our defense proceeded to fall from there."

-- Matt Stacionis