Bison girls come home to applause

It wasn't what they'd hoped for when students cheered them off Thursday, but it was quite an accomplishment nonetheless.

And first thing Monday, Buffalo Grove students held a rally to show their appreciation of the girls basketball team taking third in the state Saturday in Normal.

"It was a great way to welcome them back with their victory," Principal Patrice Johannes said later. "The kids were real enthusiastic."

It was the third year in a row the team had made state.

Led by four-year varsity players Allison Mocchi, Maggie Mocchi, Ellen Ayoub and Lauren Angotti, the Bison (33-4) beat Marist (25-10) 66-50 in their final game for coach Tom Dineen, the 29-year veteran who's retiring.

The Bison had lost Friday night to eventual state champion Whitney Young. The team's seniors also include Katie Lee and Allison Heissel.

At the assembly, the band played and Buffalo Grove Village President Elliott Hartstein and a couple of school board members spoke. Johannes presented players with their state medals and they in turn presented the third place trophy to the school.

Dineen's career record is 678 wins in 906 games. And Saturday's victory gave the school its third state trophy in Dineen's reign. The team finished fourth in 1979 and won it all in 2000.

He's never had a more productive class than this senior group as the Northwestern-bound Mocchis and Loyola recruit Ayoub combined for more than 4,700 points.

"We didn't achieve our goal of a state championship," Allison Mocchi said Saturday night. "But we still finished on a high note, and I can't think of any other way."