Driscoll captures Class 2A state championship
NORMAL - Driscoll saved its greatest comeback of the week for the biggest moment.
Down 14 in the first half and 4 after three quarters, the Highlanders stormed back to defeat defending state champion West Hancock 40-35 for the Class 2A girls basketball championship at Illinois State's Redbird Arena Saturday night.
"Our start was a little too slow today," Driscoll coach Steve McCuiston said, "but who cares?"
Driscoll (33-1), which rallied from its second-largest deficit of the season, also trailed in the first half of its supersectional and state semifinal games. But now the Highlanders are state champions in girls basketball for the first time, joining Driscoll's eight state titles in football and three in baseball. This from a girls basketball program that won its first regional title last season.
"This is the best feeling in the world," Highlanders junior Courtney Lindfors. "I hope they have room for our trophy at school."
Gigi DiGrazia's 3-pointer, Driscoll's only 3 of the game, gave the Highlanders a 33-32 lead with 6:43 left, their first lead since 2-0. It was part of a 10-0 run that pushed Driscoll ahead 38-32.
"As soon as I shot it I knew it was going in," DiGrazia said, "and I was waiting for that shot all game. I guess we like to do things dramatically. This team has a lot of heart."
Driscoll, which switched defenses from man to zone in the second half, held West Hancock scoreless for the first 6:33 of the fourth quarter. All-stater Marley Hall knocked down a 3-pointer to pull West Hancock within 38-35, but Lindfors made a pair of free throws with 39.1 seconds left to seal the win. Hall scored 18 points for West Hancock (30-5), which shot 22 percent in the second half.
"We went to a 2-3 zone," McCuiston said, "and I actually made a good decision for a change. They struggled with it and we got some momentum going."
Lindfors scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half. After a frustrating first half in a physical, loosely called game, she scored on Driscoll's first two possessions of the second half to pull the team within 24-22. Lindfors had one more score, two free throws and a pretty interior feed to Shaquira Scott for a backdoor layup in the quarter.
"I think I realized I can body (Hall) back," said Lindfors, who also had 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. "She was bodying me the whole game, and I think I finally got my confidence. My teammates lifted me up, telling me I am strong, so why can't I body her back?"
Scott, who missed more than a month because of a broken finger and just returned Monday against Bishop McNamara, was huge off the bench with 12 points. The sophomore who transferred to Driscoll this season with twin sister, Shaquina, repeatedly found herself in the right place at the right time in the paint.
"I had a dream about this last night," Scott said. "I dreamt that we were doing just what we did - celebrating. It's a dream come true.
"I knew I was coming back this season - I wasn't going to miss this."