Grayslake C.'s Kuligowski 3A champ

NORMAL Sarah Kuligowski was just happy to have qualified for the IHSA's 3-Point Showdown at Redbird Arena this weekend.

Now the Grayslake Central senior has a shot at becoming Queen of the Hill.

Kuligowski nailed 13 of her 15 attempts Friday afternoon to win the Class 3A championship and advance to the Queen of the Hill finals on Saturday afternoon.

"It feels really good," said Kuligowski, a Rams' reserve who made 4 of 7 3-pointers during the season. "I didn't expect it. I just came down here to have fun."

On Friday, Kuligowski made 11 of 15 to make the Final Four in Class 3A. She was in the first group of shooters Friday, but was third of the four contestants on Saturday. She knew she had to beat the 10 made shots by Charleston's Megan O'Dell to advance, and admitted there was a bit more pressure.

"(Friday) I just had to sit and wait," she said. "Today you could feel it a little more with all the people here watching and it being on TV."

Kuligowski said she hadn't touched a basketball until Friday after Grayslake Central lost to Vernon Hills in the sectional finals, but that shooting at Redbird wasn't as difficult as in an actual game.

"In a game you usually have someone coming at you," she said. "Here, you're just shooting wide open 3s."

While she came to Normal just to have fun, Kuligowski is now pumped for her final appearance in a Grayslake Central uniform.

"I'm really excited to go shoot (Saturday) and see what the outcome is," she said. "Just the fact I made it here means a lot to me."