Hononegah upends Jacobs in 2 OTs
It was an uphill climb all night for the top-seeded Jacobs girls basketball team against No. 3 Hononegah in the title game of the Class 4A McHenry regional Thursday.
The Golden Eagles clawed their way back from a 13-point, second-quarter deficit to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter, and senior Maria Tamburrino's 3-pointer with 39 seconds left in regulation sent the game to a first overtime in which neither team scored due to a Hononegah stall.
However, Jacobs shot just 1 of 6 from the field in double overtime, thanks to a pair of blocked shots by the Indians, and Hononegah sank 9-of-12 free throws in the final extra session to outscore the Golden Eagles 9-3 and notch a 54-48 victory.
The loss denied Jacobs its fourth regional title since 2004.
"I'm proud of our ladies," Jacobs coach Ed Haugens said. "This was an example of the season itself. We've been through a lot of close games. For the most part we've won them, but tonight we just weren't as lucky.
"But I'm proud of my kids. To be down as much as we were and to battle back like we did, I've got a lot of respect for these kids."
Jacobs (24-7) took it first lead of the game with 2:23 left in the second overtime, when Tamburrino, who finished with a game-high 17 points, split a pair from the line for a 46-45 lead.
Hononegah (20-7) regained the lead with a pair of free throws by junior Lindsay Carroll (16 points) after she was fouled on the perimeter. The Golden Eagles missed a 3-pointer at the other end, and they again fouled Caroll. She missed both attempts, but the Indians gained the rebound, Carroll was fouled again with 1:31 left and sank both attempts to expand the lead to 49-46.
Jacobs had a 3-pointer blocked on its next possession by Hononegah's Elizabeth Jordan.
"Our shots didn't fall and theirs did, and they did a good job stalling, unfortunately," Jacobs senior Hailey Cnota said.
The rebound was coralled by 6-foot-3 Hononegah sophomore Nicole Smith, who was fouled and sank both free throws to make it a 5-point lead with 52.8 seconds left. Jacobs missed its final 2 shot attempts, and the Indians polished off the victory with 4 more free throws after defensive rebounds.
Smith, who did not play in Jacobs' 58-38 victory over Hononegah at the Dundee-Crown Thanksgiving Tournament, was a major factor in the game despite being in constant foul trouble. She finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.
"It was frustrating, but Hononegah played a great game," Tamburrino said. "Their defense was very good and we just couldn't compete with it."
Cnota and junior Melanie Schwerdtmann scored 10 points apiece for Jacobs.