Downers Grove North adds another highlight-reel victory
Magical seasons often include a few memorable buzzer-beating victories.
The Downers Grove North girls basketball team is in the midst of a memorable season.
The Trojans added another highlight-reel victory on Tuesday.
Earlier this season, Kaitlyn Parker hit a game-winning 14-footer against York.
Against Lyons, it was Downers Grove North senior forward Ann Stephens’ turn to add to her team’s unforgettable season.
Stephens was the unlikely hero against Lyons in a key West Suburban Conference Silver Division game.
Stephens scored on a putback lay-in with 0.8 seconds left to propel the Trojans to a 36-35 victory over the Lions.
Stephens scored nine points, but her final basket was the most meaningful. She grabbed an offensive rebound, off a missed 14-footer by Parker, and beat the clock with a two-handed, two-foot push shot that swished through the net. Stephens grabbed the rebound, rising up next to teammate Abby Gross, to add a second buzzer-beater win for the Trojans this season.
“I knew if Kaitlyn didn’t make it, that I had to get the rebound,” Stephens said. “I heard everyone right as Kaitlyn was shooting that we didn’t have much time left, so I had to get it off as quick as I could. It was little awkward. It was a great game and I’m very proud of my teammates.”
The Trojans (20-3, 8-1) celebrated the victory by taking a team picture near halfcourt, extending their winning streak to six in a row. Freshman guard Campbell Thulin drained three 3-pointers for a team-high 15 points and Parker added seven points.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Downers Grove North coach Stephan Bolt. “The kids found a way to win. Ann had to come off the bench and had to play extended minutes. She’s a wonderful kid who will do anything for her teammates, so to see her have that moment here is awesome. It’s funny because right before we got off the bus (tonight), I told her to keep shooting good shots because she had missed some layups. Our kids are starting to believe that we’re capable of being a really good basketball team.”
“(Nora) got caught up in the screen, so I shot it,” Parker said. “I knew we had everybody rebounding. I saw it happen. Ann was there for me. This win means everything. It felt great to get a win on the road. We’re on a streak right now. I’m proud of us all. We’ve worked really hard and put in a lot of hours.”
Three days after Lyons coach Meghan Hutchens benched 13 players, including four starters, for disciplinary reasons – and called up six freshmen and sophomores – for Saturday’s game against Sandburg at the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Montini, the Lions welcomed back their complete team.
Six-foot-1 sophomore Emma O’Brien led the team in Saturday’s blowout loss with a stat line of 10 points, eight rebounds, eight blocks and two assists.
On Monday, the Lions repeated the shortened squad formula in a 62-43 loss to Yorkville at Batavia’s MLK Showdown.
Tuesday’s game represented a return to the norm for the Lions. Ezike, who had seven points and eight rebounds in the loss, also was playing for the first time after missing eight games.
At halftime, Ezike, who missed the entire Morton College tournament, was a nonfactor with two points and three rebounds. The Lions (13-10, 5-3) led for nearly all of the third quarter, but the Trojans battled back with back-to-back 3s from Thulin and Hope Sebek to seize a 32-31 lead.
Two minutes later, Ezike, a high-profile national recruit, drilled a nine-foot turnaround shot in the lane to hand the Lions a 35-34 lead with 1:26 left. The Lions turned the ball over on their final possession following Stephens’ putback.
“I think it was hard coming off a game where we haven’t played in a week but due to our own fault,” Hutchens said of playing without a full squad. “Downers Grove North is a tough team. They play very good defense. We weren’t as disciplined as we talked about being. I thought Emma O’Brien attacked the basket pretty well, so did Avery. I thought our defense was actually pretty tough. We had momentary lapses where we let their shooters shoot. The end goal is to play better at the end. We showed glimpses of that.”