Late heroics lift Hoffman over Schaumburg

Alysa Dupart set the stage for Hoffman Estates Wednesday night at Schaumburg with a terrific defensive play in the waning moments.

Then teammate Berry Chukwuyem brought the house down with a game-winning bucket in the final seconds.

The stellar performances from the two seniors - along with some clutch shooting and a key assist from guard Kate Mongold - added up to a dramatic 44-43 Hawks girls basketball win over the rival Saxons in the Mid-Suburban West.

And according to Dupart and Chukwuyem, the hotly-contested victory was an important one for Hoffman.

"This is really big," said Dupart. "We haven't beaten them since I've been here and we've always been the underdogs."

"It just feels amazing," said Chukwuyem. "It's just what we needed. We're a team that's determined and that's exactly what we showed tonight - determination, and perseverance.

"We've all got each others backs and that's what I love about this team."

Chukwuyem, a 6-foot-4 center, posted an outstanding game with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

Freshman Alyssa Orozco scored a game-high 17 points for Schaumburg, including four 3-pointers.

"When it comes down to a one-point game," said Saxons coach Jacqie Strauch, "it magnifies every possession. We lost a little of our edge in the moments leading up to the end.

"I never think it just comes down to one shot, but it does get amplified in the final moments of the game because you can't help but watch and track those few moments."

The topsy-turvy contest went back and forth as Schaumburg took a 7-point third-quarter lead, lost it as Hoffman rallied in the fourth, but regained the advantage at 43-40 late on free throws from Ariana Doroskin and Vicky Aguirre.

Then after Ana Sturgis brought the Hawks to within 1 with 2 foul shots, Dupart came up with the play of the game.

With Schaumburg looking to run out the clock in the frontcourt and 20 seconds left, Dupart forced a tie-up on a double team and the possession arrow went Hoffman's way.

"We were trapping," said Dupart, "so the best thing for me to do was to go for ball - not foul - and get the jump ball."

Then the Hawks took the ball out, rushed it downcourt and Mongold found Chukwuyem in the paint with a perfect entry pass. Chukwuyem drove in traffic and sank the layup to give Hoffman the lead with 6.6 ticks left.

"I was a little nervous," said Chukwuyem. "I didn't know if I was going to get the ball but when I did, all that was in my mind was to keep it under control and just get the ball in the basket."

Schaumburg had one last chance but a final shot was just off the mark.

"We're very excited about this win," said Hawks coach Mike Koester. "This is a game we always have circled on the calendar. They've gotten the best of us for awhile, and we were really pumped up for this one."

Doroskin finished with 9 points for Schaumburg while Aguirre added 7.

Sturgis had 14 for the Hawks including 6 clutch points in the final period, while Mangold scored 10.

"I told our team that I was really impressed with their focus," said Koester. "There were a lot of different things going on in this game, a little chippiness and some things like that, but we stayed focused the whole game and wound up on the winning side."