Bison guaranteed a trophy

NORMAL -- It's different this time.

In a few ways.

Sure it's the third straight year Buffalo Grove's girls basketball team will end its season on the floor at Illinois State's Redbird Arena.

But this time, there's no doubt about it -- the Bison will add another piece of hardware to the school's trophy case because there are only four teams left in the Class 4A division of the state finals.

In past years, eight teams have been downstate and trophies are awarded only to the top four teams.

This also could be the last time the Bison are downstate with coach Tom Dineen.

Because he is retiring from teaching at the end of the school year, the Hall of Famer's job will be opened to applicants.

Dineen's apparent swan song at BG begins today when the Class 4A state's No. 2-ranked Bison (32-3) face No. 6 Whitney Young (28-3) in the 8:15 p.m. semifinal.

The 6 p.m. semifinal matches 2006 state champ Bolingbrook (27-3) and Marist (25-8).

"It's a different feeling this time going down there," said Buffalo Grove senior Ellen Ayoub, who along with classmates Maggie and Allison Mocchi have been here the last two years suffering losses in the quarterfinals to Bolingbrook and Morton.

"This time we are guaranteed two games. It takes the pressure off."

The Bison hope to put the pressure on a Whitney Young team which also likes to play the up-tempo style.

Coach Corry Irwin's Dolphins, whose only losses are to Chicago Marshall (twice) and Mishawaka Penn High School (Ind.), like to beat their opponent up and down the floor.

"It should be a good match-up," Dineen said. "They like to play pressure defense just as we do. And they like to get the ball and go just as we do. It could be a very exciting game."

The Bison won 65-54 over Whitney Young 13 months ago (Jan. 6, 2007) at the City Suburban Shootout at Simeon High School. The Mocchis each scored 16 points in that game while Heather Nisbet had 12 and Ayoub 6.

In that game, BG trailed 19-14, then used a 12-0 run to take a 29-21 lead. The Bison later put together a 7-0 run to close the half for a 37-25 cushion.

The Dolphins got to within 60-53 with 1:07 left before BG hit 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

"They return many of their players from that game and we return many of ours," Dineen said. "Winning on Monday night (50-39 over St. Charles North in the Elgin Community super sectional) was a big obstacle. Now we get to play twice and we're going to get a trophy. It's sort of a relief because we knew this was our last chance to do that."

Ayoub and the Mocchis, all 1,000-point scorers who have combined for more than 4,600 points, have done plenty in four years. Since they've been on the varsity, the Bison are 121-20.

"Their list of accomplishments is terrific," said Dineen, who has quite a resume himself with a 676-228 record in 29 seasons, including a state title in 2000, fourth place finish in 1979, 25 regional, 11 sectionals and nine supersectionals.

"But they don't have a lot to show for it," Dineen added. "Now (by getting a trophy) they will validate what they have done for the program and their careers."

Hillner, a junior starting for the first time this year, has played for all three BG teams that have made it to the state finals. Nisbet, a sophomore, is now 2-for-2 in downstate trips.

"It's funny because they were talking and saying, "Yeah, we go downstate every year," Dineen said. "They don't know any different."

Nisbet (6.2 ppg) has started every game the Bison have played the last two years. She has 30 3-pointers this season while Hillner (4.7 pp) has 92 rebounds.

"Both of them have played all 32 minutes in most of our games," Dineen said. "And they are very important in setting the tone for us defensively. They set up the steals for the kids behind them on the floor.

"They are also very selective with their shots. They've both hit big shots and do not make many mistakes. They have sort of been under the radar and are not noticed, but they do a lot of good things for us."

Seniors Lauren Angotti (four-year varsity player) and Katie Lee also have done a lot good things of the bench this season.

The Dolphins are led by Rice-bound 5-foot guard D'Franz Smart, who averages 9.3 points and runs the show for the Chicago Public League power.

Junior Ashlee Anderson (5-9) is the Dolphins' scoring leader at 11.4 ppg.

Prosha Harris, a 6-1 junior, averages 8.8 points and 5-3 freshman guard Chanise Jenkins is at 7.2.

Irwin believes 6-foot senior forward Kiara Conner will sign with a D-I school this spring. She has 187 rebounds, third behind team leaders Harris (339) and 6-0 junior Kara Smith (211).

"Buffalo Grove likes to push the ball up the floor and so do we," said Irwin, who is 176-36 with a pair of third- place finishes in the 2005 and 2006 Class AA state tourneys.

"The biggest thing defensively for us is to make them work. We can't give them easy 3-pointers (BG has 176 while Whitney Young has 88), or give them easy looks. And we feel they have to defend us, too. If we can get easy looks inside, it may even things out."

Smart, with her sharp ballhandling skills, controls the pace for the Dolphins.

"She's going to be huge for us," said Irwin, a 1992 graduate of Elgin-Larkin High School who went on to play basketball at Fresno State. "She's got to stay out of foul trouble so she can stay on the court. She makes a huge difference in the way we go."

Some of the Bison and Dolphins go back quite a ways.

"Some of their kids and ours have been playing against each other since they were little kids (AAU)," Irwin said. "So we're familiar with them. I just think it could come down to whoever get the rolls and the right bounces. It's a great state tourney match-up. Two great teams. It should be a lot of fun and a great game for the fans."

The Bison, whose only losses are to Wheeling, Fenwick and Hinsdale Central, have been in their share of great games.

For Dineen, the next two will most likely be his last ones as the Bison head coach.

It's appropriate his last games will be at Redbird Arena, since that's where he has finished his last two seasons as well.

"The kids know the routine," he said. "I hope that experience factor plays in our favor."