Colon, York surprise Glenbard West with comeback
When the lights shine brightest, York coach Jason Reinecke knows he can count on Mary Colon.
"Anytime we're doing anything that's competitive in practice, she shows up for those last few minutes," Reinecke said of his senior forward. "She knows that's when the game is on the line."
She sure turned the switch on at the right time Friday.
Quiet for three quarters, Colon scored 15 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter as York stormed back from 16 down to beat Glenbard West 48-46 in Glen Ellyn to clinch a share of the West Suburban Silver conference championship.
"She's a primetime player," Reinecke said. "You want the ball in her hands in the fourth quarter, and she showed why tonight."
York (18-11, 9-3), 8-1 since a loss to Glenbard West Jan. 7, is co-conference champs with Oak Park the Dukes' first title since 1994. That outcome looked in serious doubt with the Dukes down 31-15 and 5:45 left in the third quarter.
"If there was a suitable way for us to clinch a conference championship, it was probably in that fashion," Reinecke said. "I can't say enough about those girls. They never got down they just kept battling."
A Meryl Cripe runner and Colon stickback basket ignited an 11-0 run to end the third quarter. York cranked up its pressure defense and Glenbard West struggled to handle it.
"Quite honestly we wanted to get into our press earlier in the game," Reinecke said. "A couple of our girls, not just Mary, thrive more in that open-court game. But you can't get into your press if you're not scoring."
The Hilltoppers (13-13, 8-4) had looked well on their way to their first Silver title since 2006, Bridget Flanagan scoring 12 of her first 15 points over the first three quarters.
"We lost our composure when they pressed," Glenbard West coach Mike Hofland said. "That changed the momentum. York took it and ran with it, and we couldn't get it back."
Colon's three-point play to start the fourth quarter made it 31-29. A Flanagan 3-pointer momentarily stemmed the tide, but Colon hit two free throws, then tipped a pass in Glenbard West's backcourt and scored to tie it with 5:47 left. A pair of Colon free throws gave York its first lead since the first quarter, 36-34.
Ellen Nighbor's turnaround jumper with 2:12 left gave Glenbard West its last lead at 41-40, but Colon came right back with a driving layup to give York the lead for good.
Two Colon free throws with 8.2 seconds left all but ended it, making it a five-point game. Colon was 9 for 9 from the line in the quarter.
"My team brought me back up and told me to play my game. That's what I did," said Colon, who also grabbed 13 rebounds. "At the beginning I was being too calm. I need to bring it and leave everything on the court."
Alex Harrell came off the bench with 6 points, all in the second half, and 5 rebounds for York. Cayla Herbst had 9 points and 8 rebounds for Glenbard West.
"We were happy with what we were doing coming out of the locker room at halftime," Hofland said. "We just didn't finish."