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.#147;Since I#146;ve been a freshman, #148; said junior Kari Moffat, Stevenson#146;s three-year starting varsity point guard, #147;we haven#146;t beaten Libertyville. ... It#146;s tough.#148;After another tough loss for Stevenson to Libertyville #8212; 39-36 in overtime at Libertyville on Saturday #8212; Moffat was having a tough time. She was fighting back tears after nearly single-handedly ending the Wildcats#146; 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#146;s potential game-tying shot from beyond the arc didn#146;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.#147;We were just focused on the fact that we didn#146;t like the way our last game ended,#148; Libertyville coach Kathie Swanson said of her team#146;s 34-33 loss on Thursday to Warren, which won on 2 free throws with less than a second left. #147;The fact that we were playing Stevenson was enough to get us fired up.#148;Libertyville has remaining division games against Lake Forest and Mundelein. Stevenson has Lake Zurich, Lake Forest and Mundelein left.#147;We#146;re still in control,#148; Stevenson coach Tom Dineen said. #147;That#146;s the good thing. Nobody got killed.#148;Libertyville has controlled Stevenson the last three seasons, winning all six of the teams#146; meetings, including two games decided by a total of 3 points two seasons ago and a 50-42 decision in December.#147;They#146;ve always been our rival even before we went to high school,#148; said Libertyville senior guard Eileen Knauff, who had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. #147;We always get excited for this one game.#148;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.#147;We were trying to work the ball around for a good shot, but our shots weren#146;t falling,#148; Wildcats forward Kerry Risley said. #147;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.#148;Down 30-25 to start the fourth quarter, Libertyville reeled off 5 straight points to pull even. Moffat sank two free throws #8212; Stevenson#146;s only points of the quarter #8212; 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#146;s drive and scoop in the closing seconds didn#146;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#146;s 6 points in the fourth and OT.#147;She#146;s been playing very, very well,#148; Dineen said. #147;A lot of those plays were designed for Kari. She#146;s carrying a lot of weight on her shoulders. I ask her to do an awful lot, and she#146;s been handling herself very well.#148;Moffat was coming off an 18-point performance against Zion-Benton. The point total represented a season high.#147;The way we#146;ve been playing really plays to my strengths,#148; Moffat said. #147;It#146;s more, #145;Spread out and create.#146; We got great shooters on the wings and really good posts down low.#148;In the extra session, Knauff#146;s 16-footer snapped a 34-34 tie, and Haley#146;s 2 foul tosses made it a four-point game. Moffat scored with 13 seconds left, but Risley#146;s free throw made the margin three.The Patriots had not lost since Dec. 23 to Proviso East. Dineen called his team#146;s effort against Libertyville #147;Stevenson BC #8212; Stevenson before Christmas.#148;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#146;s points.#147;We reverted back to some of the mistakes we were making before Christmas,#148; Dineen said. #147;Real poor free-throw shooting and real careless turnovers.#148;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.#147;She#146;s always working her hardest and giving it her all,#148; Risley said. #147;She always has the toughest job guarding the girls down low. It#146;s just a credit to her #8212; the effort that she gives every game, showing that she#146;s willing to get those boards.#148;