Girls basketball: Rolling Meadows surges late to win regional over Lake Zurich

When Abby Ramel, Rolling Meadows’ leading scorer, fouled out with 6 ½ minutes left, the Mustangs took it as a challenge.

Meadows outscored Lake Zurich 14-3 the rest of the way Thursday to win the Class 4A South Elgin regional final, 45-34.

No. 5 seed Rolling Meadows will play No. 1 seed Prospect at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Class 4A Schaumburg sectional semifinals.

Nellie Osterhues led all scorers with 17 points. Anna Andriano added 9 and Lizzy Andriano 7 for the Mustangs (19-10).

“Once she fouled out, we all got together and said that we had to win it for her,” Osterhues said. “We need to let her play in another high school game.”

Meadows led 31-30 when Ramel picked up her fifth foul. Leah Gilbertson made 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game, but the Mustangs scored the next 8 points to lead 39-31 with 1:49 left. Anna Andriano’s 3-pointer started the run.

The Mustangs then put the game away at the free-throw line, making 7 of 10 free shots in the final 2 minutes.

The Bears, meanwhile, missed their final 9 attempts from the field.

Ramel was in foul trouble much of the game and finished with just 4 points and 6 rebounds.

“Our leading scorer, Abby, was out most of the game in foul trouble,” said Meadows coach Ryan Kirkorsky. “We needed some other kids to step up on the offensive side and I just thought we were incredibly tough on the defensive side. We knew it would be a battle and I thought our kids were extremely tough.”

The Mustangs’ marksmanship was a key factor: they made 7 3-pointers to just one for Lake Zurich. Osterhues hit 4 from long range and Anna Andriano made a pair.

Gilbertson finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds for Lake Zurich. Alex Nowak-Tice added 9 points and 12 boards.

The Bears held a 34-24 edge on the glass but couldn’t take advantage. Meadows held Lake Zurich (21-10) to just 22% (12 of 54) from the floor.

The game was tied 19-19 after a back-and-forth first half, and 28-28 after 3 periods.

“It truly was just because of our mentality and our work ethic,” Osterhues said. “Before the game we said, ‘We’re winning this. We’re going to do what it takes,’ and I think we played that way.”

Lake Zurich led 8-4 early but Meadows responded with an 8-0 run, keyed by 3-pointers by Osterhues and Iris Jordan for a 12-8 lead. Three more lead changes ensued before the half ended in a 19-all tie.

Lake Zurich led only once in the second half, at 23-22 following a bucket by Gilbertson, but the game was tied at 25, 26, 28, and 31 before the Mustangs pulled away.