Harper advances to Region IV semifinals

The third-seeded Harper College women’s basketball team advanced to Thursday night’s NJCAA Region IV, Division III semifinals thanks to a 62-39 win over seventh-seeded Madison Area Technical College on Tuesday in Palatine.

“It was kind of a sloppy victory. Once you’re in the playoffs you don’t care what happens, you want to get to the next round,” third-year Harper coach Mark Smith said.

The Hawks were led in scoring by sophomore Sara Kellermeyer (of Schaumburg, 16 points) and freshman Larissa Aguero (Wheeling, 14 points). The two also combined for 15 of the Hawks’ 36 rebounds.

Harper (16-12) took a 21-11 halftime lead. After each team took turns scoring on its first possession of the second half, Anna Kirchoff (7 points) scored a basket.

After that, the Storm (1-28) started a 9-0 run in which Storm freshman forward Marissa Riley scored 4 points.

“(She) is their best player,” Smith said of Riley.

The Hawks had trouble guarding the athletic Riley and sophomore guard TaChandrae Anthony-Turner in the second half. Together they accounted for 34 of Madison’s 39 points.

Aguero and sophomore guard Siobhan Cerney (Schaumburg) led a Harper on a 10-0 second-half run. Aguero grabbed rebounds for easy putbacks and Cerney drove the lane for layups that led to 4 points during the spurt. Cerney finished with 12 points, her highest scoring output since getting 15 against College of DuPage on Jan. 25.

The Harper surge turned what had been a nail-biter into a laugher. The Hawks had won both regular-season meetings with Milwaukee.

The Hawks play second-seeded Joliet Junior College in the Region IV semifinals on Thursday night at Rock Valley College.

“We have to defend better (against Joliet),” Smith said.