Driscoll lose in OT of title game

Driscoll's week of drama-filled girls basketball at the Oswego East Holiday Tournament ended in disappointment Saturday with a loss to Oak Park-River Forest in the championship game.

It was, however, the sort of loss a team can build on, as the Highlanders rallied in the final seconds of regulation against a hyper-physical team before dropping the game by a 62-55 overtime score.

"Our girls never backed down," Driscoll coach Steve McCuiston said. "It was a good experience for us to play a team like that."

The Highlanders trailed 54-49 with less than a minute to go when Courtney Lindfors scored on a putback. As the Huskies fought to get the ball into the front court, Gigi DiGrazia tipped a pass and the loose ball ended up in the hands of Allie Divito, who drained a 3-pointer from the right corner with 4.2 seconds left in regulation.

"We have a lot of heart, and I knew we were going to push for that final basket," DiGrazia said.

This game of shifting tempos got off to a sprint as both teams pushed the ball up the floor. That pace seemed to benefit the Huskies who led 13-9 after one quarter.

"We went in wanting to slow the tempo, but they were offering us some open looks, and we had to take advantage of that," McCuiston said.

After being shut out in the first quarter, Lindfors went to work in the paint and the two teams were separated by a single point at the break, though the Huskies still led 26-25.

Driscoll (13-2) was able to slow the pace of the game at the start of the second half, and DiGrazia connected twice from beyond the arc. At the end of the third quarter, the Highlanders enjoyed a 40-33 lead.

The Huskies (11-8) responded by cranking up the intensity and giving new meaning to the concept of putting a body on each of your opponents.

"We're an aggressive team," Oak Park-River Forest coach Bob Biggins said. "We play physical and we have enough girls that can give a foul if we have to."

The strategy worked, and momentum quickly swung in the Huskies' direction.

"I'm proud of how we played all week, and we had an opportunity to take the first-place trophy home," McCuiston said.

DiGrazia scored 14 points and Lindfors added 17 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks. Both were named to the all-tournament team.