West Chicago rallies past York
West Chicago forward Mary Connolly tried to put it to the back of her mind, but it was hard for her to not think about the significance.
For Connolly and her fellow seniors, postseason basketball is much more than just another game. Lose and their high school basketball days are over. Or win and keep hope alive.
In Tuesday’s Class 4A Trinity regional opener against York, the Wildcats played like a team that didn’t want to call it a year. West Chicago rallied from an early deficit to pull ahead late in the contest and then hung on for a tense 50-46 victory over the Dukes in River Forest. The Wildcats will play host Trinity at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
“We didn’t want it to come to an end,” Connolly said. “The seniors are working for a regional championship.”
West Chicago (17-10) showed a strong work ethic to overcome an early advantage by York (18-12), which dominated the offensive glass and had numerous second-chance attempts.
Behind the play of standout forward Mary Colon, the Dukes led 12-7 at the end of the first quarter and were poised to the game away with a 10-0 run that made the score 24-11 with 2:50 to play before halftime.
Colon scored 13 of her game-high 21 points in the first half and Nicole Brown made a couple of jumpers, including a 3-pointer that swished through the net off the glass. Glynis Albue also had a nice offensive board putback.
The Wildcats refocused on getting back on defense and played more patient in their halfcourt offense. A jumper from guard Allie Tapanes, who came back from a thumb injury, sparked a run of 8 unanswered points.
Connolly converted on a strong inside move and then she fed fellow senior Kelsey Myers on consecutive backdoor plays as West Chicago ended the half only down 24-19. That gave the Wildcats the momentum they needed in the last two quarters.
“Halfcourt offense is definitely something we focus on,” said Myers, who tied for team-high scoring honors with 11 points with Tapanes. “Mary Connolly has a great pass. She can always find the open player. Our halfcourt offense is what pulled it together for us.”
Connolly felt the team ran some of its best offensive sets of the season in the second half of this game.
West Chicago pulled ahead 29-27 late in the third quarter on another sweet back door by Connolly. This time Meagan Radloff scored to cap another 8-0 run.
The Dukes kept battling and stayed within a few points down the stretch, including a 43-all tie with 1:53 left to play in the final quarter. The Wildcats kept ahead thanks to some free-throw shooting by Tapanes and a nice three-point play by Connolly on a drive.
“(The Wildcats) outhustled us,” said York coach Jason Reinecke. “They took the opportunities we gave them. We had a tough time finishing.”