Girls basketball: St. Edward returning to state semifinals

Hope appeared all but dashed for St. Edward’s girls basketball team with 33.9 seconds to play Monday night in River Forest.

Bleachers littered with Green Wave supporters watched as Phillips senior Antionette Jones buried a pair of free throws to give the Wildcats a 48-44 advantage late in the fourth quarter.

Undeterred, Green Wave senior Ginger Younger raced up the floor for two. On the ensuing Green Wave possession, set to start on their own baseline thanks to a Jordin Sauls steal, Sauls created separation, finding herself alone under the hoop.

With a flick of her wrist, Sauls banked home the tying shot.

A tidal wave of sound blasted throughout the gym in the Class 2A Dominican University supersectional, as the stunned Wildcats were unable to get a shot off before time expired. The Green Wave (27-8) carried over momentum from a jaw-dropping finish to regulation, securing a 57-51 overtime victory to advance for a second straight season into the state semifinals.

The Green Wave, who last season finished fourth in Class 1A, face Byron at 4:15 p.m. Thursday with the winner getting a spot in the 2A state title game.

“I feel so happy I could help my team,” Sauls said. “I mean, we were coming down to the wire and I just wanted to do whatever I could.”

In the opening quarter, the Green Wave swung first and jumped to a 16-2 lead. Savannah Lynch, a junior for St. Edward, started the game on fire with 8 first-quarter points.

Phillips (21-12) ramped up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, trimming the Green Wave lead to just 4 as the halftime buzzer sounded.

“Phillips, we knew they were going to come after us with pressure,” said Green Wave coach Michelle Dawson. “It was probably even a little bit more than what we anticipated. I thought in the first half we didn’t move the ball and play team offense like we needed to.”

As the third quarter wore on, offensive struggles persisted for the Green Wave. Lynch, who finished the contest with a game-high 24 points, poured in all four third quarter points for St. Edward. With four minutes to play in the third, Phillips took a lead they didn’t relinquish until the game’s waning seconds.

Flying up the floor in transition following a Sanaii McPherson steal, Lynch converted a layup plus a foul, giving her an and-one opportunity. The ensuing free throw missed, however.

Leading Phillips by just a pair with under 30 seconds to play in overtime, Lynch did not miss the chance to redeem herself. This time, the ball rolled around the rim, hung for a second, then went through the net. Lynch, who heaved a huge sigh of relief as the free-throw dropped, credited a rejuvenated confidence, inspired by her teammates.

“Oh my gosh it felt great,” Lynch said. “I mean, I had to get out of my head and my teammates really helped me with that. I mean, (Sauls) right here put us to overtime. With their momentum, I knew we could do it.”

Younger and Sauls tallied 9 points each, while McPherson added 8 of her own.