Parker delivers in the clutch for Downers Grove North
Kaitlyn Parker was in the right frame of mind at the right time of the game on Tuesday night.
The Downers Grove North senior forward had a game to forget against York for the first 31-plus minutes.
She scored all five of her points in the first half, and missed her lone shot attempt, a 3-pointer, in the second half.
But Parker wasn’t bothered by her lack of shots or points.
She wanted the ball when it mattered the most – finishing time.
“I knew I really wasn’t on my shooting game today but my teammates had pulled through for me and kept me going along,” Parker said. “At the end, the play was drawn up for me, and I knew I had to take it.”
Parker lived up to her big-game reputation, drilling a 14-footer with 22 seconds left to spark the Trojans to a grind-it-out 32-31 win over York in a West Suburban Conference crossover game. The Trojans (12-2, 4-1) extended their winning streak to five games despite a gruesome performance shooting and struggling to take care of the ball.
“I’m proud our kids for battling,” Downers Grove North coach Stephan Bolt. “We were trying to get the ball to Kaitlyn at the end. She made a big play. It was fun to see her do that.”
After hitting her jumper, Parker helped seal the game by snaring the defensive rebound off a missed York shot. The Dukes (8-4, 4-1) had a chance to win the game at the buzzer but came up empty on a long-distance shot. Parker, who entered the game averaging 10 points and six rebounds per game, finished with seven points and eight rebounds. Hope Sebek added nine points for the Trojans.
“It was really exciting,” Parker said of her shot. “I’m glad my teammates got me open with the screens. They pulled through for me today, when I couldn’t.”
Downers Grove North freshman guard Campbell Thulin kept the Trojans in the game by finishing with 11 points. She was fouled three times attempting a 3-pointer, highlighted by a four-point play midway through the fourth quarter that sliced the deficit to 28-26.
“I’ve definitely been fouled from the three-point line, but definitely not that much,” Thulin said. “I had to read the defense and my teammates supported me. This win feels good. Parker hit a big shot. She executed and it turned out perfect.”
The Trojans managed to pull out the win even though they missed all five of their third quarter shots and were held without a field goal for the first 4:53 of the game. York’s full-court pressure and stingy defense forced 15 turnovers. The Dukes struggled from the perimeter, missing nine of their first 10 3s before catching fire in short bursts in the second half.
York guard Mia Barton sparked the comeback with two second-half 3s for nine points, while Hannah Meyers had 10 points.
“We had tired legs and tired minds,” York coach Brandon Collings said. “We missed some layups early, but came out in the third quarter by fouling their three-point shooter three times. We fought back and battled in the second half. Defensively, we did a good job, kept them off the boards. We tried to run the clock at the end and missed a couple of layups at the end.”