Libertyville comeback stings Stevenson
The two-touchdown lead proved not enough, not surprisingly.
Stevenson's basketball girls, after all, were playing the two-time defending conference champions, whose hopes of successfully defending their title again would have been all but officially dashed with a loss.
The Patriots were playing Libertyville.
"Since I've been a freshman, " said junior Kari Moffat, Stevenson's three-year starting varsity point guard, "we haven't beaten Libertyville. ... It's tough."
After another tough loss for Stevenson to Libertyville 39-36 in overtime at Libertyville on Saturday Moffat was having a tough time. She was fighting back tears after nearly single-handedly ending the Wildcats' dominance against her squad. She scored a career-high 22 points thanks to her efficiency from 3-point range and aggressive drives, while also hustling for 6 rebounds.
But when Moffat's potential game-tying shot from beyond the arc didn't fall, Libertyville had capped a comeback that saw it rally from a 16-2 deficit to keep alive its hopes in the North Suburban Lake Division.
Instead of being 3 games back in the loss column, Libertyville (16-5, 7-3) moved within a game of Stevenson (17-6, 7-2), which had won seven straight.
"We were just focused on the fact that we didn't like the way our last game ended," Libertyville coach Kathie Swanson said of her team's 34-33 loss on Thursday to Warren, which won on 2 free throws with less than a second left. "The fact that we were playing Stevenson was enough to get us fired up."
Libertyville has remaining division games against Lake Forest and Mundelein. Stevenson has Lake Zurich, Lake Forest and Mundelein left.
"We're still in control," Stevenson coach Tom Dineen said. "That's the good thing. Nobody got killed."
Libertyville has controlled Stevenson the last three seasons, winning all six of the teams' meetings, including two games decided by a total of 3 points two seasons ago and a 50-42 decision in December.
"They've always been our rival even before we went to high school," said Libertyville senior guard Eileen Knauff, who had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. "We always get excited for this one game."
It was all Stevenson early, however. The Patriots were up 16-2 when a 3-pointer by birthday-girl Alex Haley (team-high 13 points) with 4:41 left in the second quarter started a comeback that would see Libertyville outscore Stevenson 37-20 the rest of the way.
Libertyville had shot just 1 of 15 from the floor in digging a 10-2 hole after one quarter.
"We were trying to work the ball around for a good shot, but our shots weren't falling," Wildcats forward Kerry Risley said. "Once we started making a couple of shots and chipping away at the lead, we just started getting the momentum that we needed to get back in it."
Down 30-25 to start the fourth quarter, Libertyville reeled off 5 straight points to pull even. Moffat sank two free throws Stevenson's only points of the quarter with 1:31 left to put the Patriots back in front. But 6-foot Nicole Kruckman, who was huge on the boards all game, scored off a dish from Risley with 45 seconds left to pull the hosts even again.
The game went to overtime after Moffat's drive and scoop in the closing seconds didn't fall.
Moffat attacked all game, finishing 7 of 14 from the floor and 5 of 9 from the line. Before her 3 try at the overtime buzzer, she was 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.
She scored all of Stevenson's 6 points in the fourth and OT.
"She's been playing very, very well," Dineen said. "A lot of those plays were designed for Kari. She's carrying a lot of weight on her shoulders. I ask her to do an awful lot, and she's been handling herself very well."
Moffat was coming off an 18-point performance against Zion-Benton. The point total represented a season high.
"The way we've been playing really plays to my strengths," Moffat said. "It's more, 'Spread out and create.' We got great shooters on the wings and really good posts down low."
In the extra session, Knauff's 16-footer snapped a 34-34 tie, and Haley's 2 foul tosses made it a four-point game. Moffat scored with 13 seconds left, but Risley's free throw made the margin three.
The Patriots had not lost since Dec. 23 to Proviso East. Dineen called his team's effort against Libertyville "Stevenson BC Stevenson before Christmas."
The Patriots missed 11 free throws (6 of 17) and committed 20 turnovers, despite being rarely pressured. Moffat and Katie Batman (10 points) accounted for all but 4 of Stevenson's points.
"We reverted back to some of the mistakes we were making before Christmas," Dineen said. "Real poor free-throw shooting and real careless turnovers."
Libertyville center Kruckman finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds, including 8 on the offensive glass. She secured 5 offensive boards in the fourth quarter and OT.
"She's always working her hardest and giving it her all," Risley said. "She always has the toughest job guarding the girls down low. It's just a credit to her the effort that she gives every game, showing that she's willing to get those boards."