Driscoll rolls in semis, will play for Class 2A state title Saturday
NORMAL - Stage fright for a Driscoll athletics team at state?
C'mon, you know better than that.
"I love playing in front of big crowds," sophomore Allie DiVito said. "You get chills when you hit a big shot."
In their first appearance at the state girls basketball tournament, the Highlanders roared back from an early 7-point hole to beat Olney East Richland 44-29 in the Class 2A semifinal at Illinois State's Redbird Arena.
Driscoll (32-1) will meet defending state champion West Hancock, a 32-26 winner over Nashville, at 8:15 p.m. today for the 2A championship.
Parallel to Monday's supersectional, Driscoll started slowly offensively, spotting East Richland a 15-8 lead a minute into the second quarter.
A pair of Gigi DiGrazia 3-pointers knotted the score at 16-16, and by halftime the Highlanders were ahead 20-17. A 16-2 Driscoll run out of the break broke things open.
"We've been in every situation you could imagine," said Courtney Lindfors, who had 10 points and 15 rebounds, "being down, blowing teams out, coming back, overtime. We're able to keep our composure and our patience."
"I trust these kids," Driscoll coach Steve McCuiston said. "I look at them and I don't see panic."
After managing only two shot attempts in the first quarter against a zone similar to one Bishop McNamara used, Lindfors alertly made an adjustment to get free.
She drifted to the high post to knock down a jumper to give Driscoll the lead at 18-17, then drove from the free-throw line down the lane for another score.
"We didn't tell her to do that. That was just a great decision by Courtney," McCuiston said. "She's capable of scoring from the low post with her back to the basket, and she's also capable of beating people off the dribble."
East Richland (28-8) hit three of its first four shot attempts of the second quarter, but after Casey Kuenstler's 3-pointer a minute in the Tigers went more than 10 minutes without a field goal.
By the time the Tigers made another shot Driscoll was rolling, ahead 28-17 on a DiVito 3-pointer with 4:34 left in the third. DiVito and DiGrazia didn't advance in the 3-point Showdown on Thursday, but both made three 3-pointers in the game.
"I think it really did help (competing in the shootout)," said DiGrazia, named third-team all-state by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, joining teammates Lindfors (first team) and Kasey Reaber (second team). "You look up and you see those bright lights behind the basket - it's different than what we're used to. You have to feel comfortable and not freak out when you see the light."
Class 2A championship
Who: Driscoll vs. West Hancock
When: 8:15 p.m. today
TV: Channel 50