Warren escapes with 1-point win over Palatine

The final seconds of Tuesday's girls basketball game between Palatine and Warren did not exactly speed by for the Blue Devils.

"Could the clock go any slower?" Warren sophomore Alexis Leneau asked rhetorically after the game.

"It felt like forever," junior Morgan Garrett said.

Leneau and Garrett could smile about the final ticks of the clock after Warren escaped with a 30-29 victory Tuesday in the third round of the Blue Devil Classic.

Following a Warren miss with about 38 seconds left, Palatine had the ball and a chance to take the lead. The Blue Devils played excellent defense for 36 seconds and did not allow Palatine a good look at the basket. Warren fouled Palatine with 2.3 seconds left, giving the Pirates the ball under the basket.

When Palatine was unable to get the ball in bounds, the Pirates called a timeout.

After the timeout, Leneau was able to deflect the inbounds pass to preserve the victory.

"We had a girl roll to the basket but we didn't get it to her," Palatine coach Leslie Schock said. "We haven't been in many of those situations. The only way to get the experience is to be in these types of games."

This was the fourth consecutive victory for Warren (6-8). The Blue Devils improved to 3-0 in their own tournament. Palatine dropped to 1-2 in tourney play.

The Pirates started slowly and trailed 13-4 after the first quarter. The rest of the game they allowed 17 points.

"We played tremendous defense," Schock said.

Freshman Nia Pappas continued to fill in admirably for injured point guard Heather Zimmerman. Pappas finished with 7 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.

"She's done whatever we've asked of her," Schock said. "She's having a phenomenal tournament."

Palatine junior Katie Mnichowicz drained two 3-pointers and had 6 points. Junior Katie Scovic contributed 6 points and 6 rebounds.

Leneau scored a team-high 8 points for Warren and had 4 steals and 3 assists. Garrett added 6 points and 5 rebounds.

"We had some really good stretches and there were also times we (played) like a young team," Leneau said.

Leneau showed flashes of her potential throughout the game.

"Alexis has things to work on to maximize her ability, but she's such a fierce competitor," Warren coach John Stanczykiewicz said. "She plays so hard and at times that rubs off on the other kids."