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Girls basketball: Nordstrom, Lake Zurich pull out OT thriller over Hersey in Loyola semifinals

A berth to the championship game of the Loyola Academy Christmas Tournament was on the line when Hersey and Lake Zurich squared off in the semifinals Friday night.

The contest was tooth and nail the entire second half as the teams went into the fourth quarter tied at 27-27 before a huge 3-pointer by Lake Zurich's Layne Nordstrom with 19 seconds left in regulation forced overtime deadlocked at 34-34.

The Bears (10-5) took that momentum into the extra session as they outscored the Huskies 12-5 in overtime to capture a 46-39 victory to advance to the title game against the host Ramblers at 7:15 p.m. Saturday.

Hersey (10-5) had a golden opportunity to put the game away, but it missed 3 of 4 free throws in the final 53 seconds of the fourth quarter. Lake Zurich's Alex Nowak-Tice hit two clutch free throws to cut the lead to 34-31 with 36.5 seconds to play.

Then Nordstrom (9 points, 3 assists) came through with the Bears' only 3-pointer of the contest to force the overtime.

"We ran a set play there and we got no looks out of anyone and nothing was available so she (Nordstrom) made a play," said Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett, whose team led 14-6 late in the first quarter and 22-13 late in the second quarter. "Hersey does a great job taking you out of what you want to do, but we have some veteran kids who make big plays."

Senior Avery Cooper was one of the veterans who came up big for the Bears with a team-high 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Nowak-Tice had 10 points and 6 rebounds while teammates Leah Gilbertson and Molly Friesen scored 8 and 6 points, respectively.

"This was a good win for us especially because we lost to them last year I'm pretty sure by like only four so it felt good to come back and win this one," said Cooper, whose team hit 8 of 9 free throws in overtime. "That (3-pointer by Nordstrom) was the reason we stayed in it. I think both teams were in bonus (in overtime) so being careful on defense not to foul and attacking and going in to get fouls so we can be put on the line ended up working out."

Hersey's Sadie Marks had a game-high 16 points and 5 rebounds while teammate Kate Donovan hit double figures with 11 points. Hersey's Kiki Craft had 6 points and 6 rebounds.

"We made those adjustments in the second half, but we got away from it in overtime and we got away from what got us to that overtime after being down by four at halftime," said Hersey coach Courtney Ludois, whose team trailed 22-18 at the intermission.

"I'm disappointed they made their free throws and we missed three key ones down the stretch. But we did a lot of really good things, and the team that we were at the beginning of the year would have lost that game by 20 so we continue to make progress and get better."

  Hersey’s Kiki Craft, left, tries to block a shot by Lake Zurich’s Molly Friesen during a semifinal game of the Loyola Academy girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 in Wilmette. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Hersey’s Kate Donovan, left, and Lake Zurich’s Avery Cooper try to grab the ball during a semifinal game of the Loyola Academy girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 in Wilmette. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Hersey’s Grace Grabowy, left, and Lake Zurich’s Avery Cooper try to control the ball as the Huskies’ Kiki Craft backs up the play during a semifinal game of the Loyola Academy girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 in Wilmette. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Lake Zurich’s Molly Friesen, left, tries to make a move against Hersey’s Grace Grabowy during a semifinal game of the Loyola Academy girls basketball tournament on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 in Wilmette. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
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