Hendrick's last-second shot drops Bartlett

For a play they haven't practiced yet this season, Kelley Hendrick and the Naperville Central Redhawks ran it to perfection.

Hendrick went coast-to-coast in the last 5.5 seconds and scored as time expired, lifting the Redhawks to a thrilling 48-47 win over Bartlett in the Naperville Central/Benet Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday.

"You can never be sure what the plan's going to be with five seconds to go," said Hendrick, who led all scorers with 22 points, "but we've run that play in past seasons. (Inbound passer) Claire (Fleming) and I have run that play with less time, so we know it well. Good basketball players know what to do in clutch times."

Bartlett (2-1) had taken a 47-46 lead on a jumper by Katie Gutzwiller. After a timeout Hendrick took the inbounds pass, drove up the right sideline, spun away from a Bartlett double-team at the free-throw line and threw up an off-balance shot that went in off the glass.

"I don't know how the ball got where it did," Hendrick said, "but I knew time was running out. I had to put it up somehow."

Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said he took the play from the 1982 Indiana state championship won by tiny Plymouth High School and former Bulls coach Scott Skiles in the last seconds.

"But you know when Kelley spun, I thought she lost the ball," Nussbaum said.

Bartlett trailed 39-32 with 5:21 left after a Hendrick basket but rallied behind sophomore Jacki Gulczynski. She scored 9 of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, including a steal and score with 54 seconds left to tie it at 44. Gutzwiller had 8 in the final quarter.

Hawks coach Denise Sarna said Hendrick shouldn't have gotten the ball on the last play.

"We had a player on her to make sure Hendrick didn't get the ball and she lined up on the wrong side, so all they had to do was lob it over," Sarna said. "But (Hendrick) is a good player. I have to say it was a contested shot. Some days the shots go in."

Freshman Ashley Santos scored 15 points for Bartlett. Alex Pokorny scored 9 points and Emma Ondik 7 for Naperville Central (2-0).

"I'm glad to get them done early," Nussbaum said of Bartlett. "They're going to be very good."