Bolingbrook wins in OT
NORMAL — Taylor Tuck never lacks for motivation at the free-throw line.
“If we miss in practice,” said the Bolingbrook senior, “we run.”
Tuck could walk out of Redbird Arena a winner Friday, her tiebreaking free throw with 1.7 seconds left in overtime giving Bolingbrook a 50-49 win over Whitney Young in the Class 4A semifinals.
Bolingbrook (28-2) will play for its third straight state championship at 8:15 p.m. today against Zion-Benton.
The Raiders trailed most of the way and were down by 5 with a minute left in regulation.
“I think this is destiny. It is meant to be,” Bolingbrook coach Tony Smith said. “Time to get ready for Zion-Benton.”
Janee Thompson’s runner off the glass with 44 seconds left in overtime tied it at 49-49. Bolingbrook’s Ariel Massengale dribbled the clock down, then found Tuck on the right wing.
Tuck faked the 3-point attempt and collided with Thompson on the drive. She made the first free throw, then intentionally missed the second. Time expired before Young could attempt a desperation heave.
“I wasn’t thinking about the crowd or the noise,” Tuck said. “I was just thinking about when my teammates and I are on the line every day in practice.”
Young, the last Illinois team to beat Bolingbrook — in the 2008 championship game — was its worst enemy. The Dolphins made just 6 of 16 free throws, missed two front ends of 1-and-1s in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over on the inbounds with less than a minute left in regulation, setting up Morgan Tuck’s tying basket.
Young led 45-40 with 1:07 left, but Allie Hill’s 3 drew Bolingbrook within a basket.
“We haven’t missed that many free throws all year,” Young coach Corry Irvin said. “We just didn’t finish.”
Chanise Jenkins led Young (26-3) with 11 points.
Morgan Tuck scored 10 points. Keiera Ray added 9, as did Ariel Massengale. Massengale shot just 3 of 10 from the floor and turned it over 6 times in front of her future college coach, Tennessee’s Pat Summitt.
“I was a little nervous with her there,” Massengale said, “but it’s just one game. She’s seen a lot of my games. She’s going to see good ones and bad ones.”
In the first 4A semifinal Zion-Benton continued its remarkable playoff run from a No. 5 sectional seed to a 45-37 win over Maine South. Maine South rallied from down 36-32 to take a 37-36 lead, but Zion-Benton closed on a 9-0 run.
Juanita Robinson made a twisting jumper to give Zion-Benton (27-6) back the lead, then picked off a pass and ran in a layup. Robinson finished with 18 points. Jacqui Grant had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Maine South (27-9).