Cary-Grove avoids CL South upset bid
Cary-Grove girls basketball coach Rod Saffert could finally breathe a little easier.
Surviving a 1-point fourth quarter, the top-seeded Trojans escaped with a 28-27 win over upset-minded Crystal Lake South in a semifinal game of the Class 4A Prairie Ridge regional in Crystal Lake Wednesday night.
"Give South all the credit," said Saffert. "It is tough to beat a team three times. I would never question our kids' effort, but we just didn't play very smart. We took a lot of bad shots. We played not to lose in the fourth quarter. Our defense saved us."
The Trojans (19-8) will play for the regional title today at 7:30 p.m. against host Prairie Ridge, which defeated McHenry 38-34 in Wednesday's second semifinal.
Starting the third quarter on am 8-2 run, Cary-Grove opened up a 26-13 lead after a 5-footer by Paige Lincicum with 3:33 remaining.
After Lincicum's basket, Crystal Lake South coach Kyle McCaughn desperately called a timeout to fire up his team. McCaughn's tactics worked as the Gators (12-18) responded with a 10-0 run. Sara Mickow scored 4 points, Stephanie Melone buried a 3-pointer and Lauren Del Vecchio scored on a conventional 3-pointer as the Gators turned a 13-point Cary-Grove lead into a 3-point, 26-23 deficit with 33 seconds left in the third quarter.
"I was a little animated in the timeout," said McCaughn. "This year this team needs a little nudging at times. I told them they would come back and win and they responded with a great effort. The comeback was a testament of their work ethic. We clawed and fought until the end. This group got better as the season went on. I am very proud of them."
The Gators got to within a point of the Trojans, 28-27, on a layup by Melone off a steal with 46 seconds left. South couldn't get any closer as Cary-Grove held on for the narrow 1-point win.
Lincicum paced the Trojans with 12 points. Olivia Jakubicek added 8 points and 13 rebounds for the Trojans.
Cary-Grove, which didn't make a basket during the final 11:33, made only 10-of-45 shots for 22 percent.
"It is hard to beat a team three times," said Lincicum. "Both teams know each other's strengths and weaknesses. We are happy with the win and we get a chance to play for the regional championship (tonight)."
Melone paced the Gators with 11 points while Mickow scored 9 with 8 boards.