Kokenis, Hinsdale Central shoot past St. Charles North
While Toni Kokenis did plenty of damage throughout Hinsdale Central's 48-36 win at St. Charles North Saturday, the Stanford-bound guard saved her best for the final seconds of every quarter.
With St. Charles North (12-6) holding for the last shot and clinging to a 7-6 lead in the first quarter, Kokenis came up with a steal, drove the length of the court and converted a three-point play with 0.9 seconds left.
The North Stars again held a 17-15 lead as the clocked ticked down to halftime when Kokenis swished a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining for an 18-17 lead.
Hinsdale Central (12-5) started to create a little cushion in the third quarter, and Kokenis turned a 5-point lead to 8 with another 3-pointer as the third quarter clock expired.
That's 9 points while leaving a total of 2.9 seconds left on the clock for the North Stars to shake their heads and wonder how that just happened again.
Hinsdale Central coach Lindsey Montgomery knows how because she's seen it so often.
"She has the ability to figure out how the defense is playing her and what the best shot is going to be," Montgomery said. "She's got great range, and we have all the confidence in the world in her. To have the ball in her hands is the best scenario for us."
The final seconds of the fourth quarter were tame compared to the first three, though Kokenis did add 4 straight free throws in the final 25 seconds giving the Red Devils a 12-point final margin, their biggest lead of the day.
St. Charles North's own Division I point guard Kiley Hackbarth (Rhode Island) made Kokenis work for every one of her 24 points, chasing her all over the court for all 32 minutes.
"They were really aggressive and they are tough defensively, but we did a good job of setting screens and moving and passing the ball around," said Kokenis, who hopes her team has turned a corner after a recent 2-3 stretch that included a loss to St. Charles East.
"We have been a little up an down this season. We felt like we played pretty well after the Moninti game and we're trying to build off that and continue to play better as a team every game."
St. Charles North (12-6) received good production from its two post players, Jenna Bell (17 points, 9 rebounds) and Dana Sibley (12 points, 7 rebounds).
The rest of the North Stars combined for 7 points. St. Charles North played without the Russell sisters, starting guard Sydney and top reserve Taylor, who missed both weekend games with a prior engagement, according to coach Colleen Brennan.
"We kind of played a little scared," Sibley said. "We weren't very confident. We were a little intimidated. I don't know really what got in our heads. We weren't very aggressive. That's not our style of play."
Neither team led by more than 3 points in a back-and-forth first half with 8 lead changes and 4 ties.
The Red Devils never trailed in the second half, using a 10-0 surge to open a 38-26 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The North Stars drew as close as 39-34 with 3:17 to play after Sibley's spin for a bucket and a Hackbarth free throw. Lauren Franke ended any comeback thoughts with 5 straight points to restore a 10-point Hinsdale Central lead.
Adabelle Ekechukwu also hurt the North Stars inside with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
"We missed a couple blockouts," Brennan said. "That was key. They took advantage and that started a swing for them.
"Our girls played hard. Our defense was great. They had to adjust what they were doing. We did a really good job hedging and talking. We saw a ton of great looks, we didn't finish enough. I wish it would have come out differently."