Naperville Central 11, Loyola 8

He didn't want to celebrate too early, but Naperville Central coach Jeff Plackett couldn't help himself.

With 15 seconds left in the first half of Friday's girls water polo state quarterfinal, senior Kara Wilson scooped up a length-of-the-pool pass from goalkeeper Sam Virella and drilled a shot into the back of the net to give the Redhawks a 5-2 lead.

Plackett turned to the crowd, both arms raised with fists pumping. And it wouldn't be the last time as Naperville Central (23-11) made a habit of late-quarter goals to earn an 11-8 victory over Loyola and a spot in the program's first state semifinal.

"The girls are feeding off the enthusiasm from their parents and I'm trying to supplement that while staying in the bounds of good sportsmanship," Plackett said. "You're just so emotionally invested in the team and the game."

With state quarterfinal losses to Homewood-Flossmoor (11-3) in 2005 and Fenwick (16-4) two seasons ago, Friday's victory was a relief for the Redhawks' all-time leading scorer.

"It's great to be able to play in such a well-matched game," Wilson said following her 4-goal effort. "I couldn't be happier."

With its fourth consecutive win since dropping 11 of 18 during a challenging late-March-to-early-May stretch, Naperville Central takes on Mother McAuley (21-7) at 12:45 p.m. today in the second semifinal.

"We just said in the team huddle that this group just did something that no Naperville Central girls had done before," said Plackett, whose team lost 8-5 to the Mighty Macs on April 29. "Regardless of what happens (today), they know they're walking out of here with a medal and a trophy.

"It's up for them tonight to figure out how big they want that trophy."

If the Redhawks can continue converting in late-quarter situations, they put themselves in a nice position to play for the title. Haley Nelson scored the first of her 2 goals with 1.4 seconds remaining in the first quarter, while senior Samantha Shamburek found the back of the net with seven seconds left in the third quarter to spark a 4-goal spurt. Shamburek also scored 2.

Victoria Davis, Emily Wooten and Claire Fleming each added 1 goal for Naperville Central.

"Overall, we really didn't play our best team game at this level," said Loyola coach Rich Schici. "We lost this game with a lack of focus and a lack of execution."

While the Ramblers quietly exited their locker room after dropping their fourth consecutive state quarterfinal, the Redhawks were taking their time celebrating their first state tournament victory.

"I'm so happy, I can't even believe it," Nelson said. "I haven't been here since freshman year … it's so awesome."