Naperville Central 56, Downers Grove South 34

Naperville Central girls basketball coach Andy Nussbaum admitted being worried about facing Downers Grove South.

"I knew they were going to pose some matchup problems for us because they had shooters," he said.

Nussbaum had plenty to worry about when the Mustangs hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter to pull within 2.

However, his Redhawks responded to the challenge. The sixth-seeded host answered with a 19-0 run to ultimately turn back No. 12 seed Downers South 56-34 in the Class 4A Naperville Central regional semifinals Tuesday night.

Sophomore center Katherine Tanck fueled Naperville Central's game-winning spree by scoring 6 of its first 8 points.

Tanck jokingly said the run sprouted from the jelly beans that Naperville Central assistant coach Al Harris gave the Redhawks (22-9).

"Mr. Harris gave us some energy beans," Tanck said, "but really I think we just had a different mindset and we just came out wanting to win more than they did so we picked it up. I think at halftime we were getting a little worried.

"Once we got on a roll like we usually do I think we just relaxed and everything started to flow."

Naperville Central outscored the Mustangs 17-3 in the final quarter to earn a date with Wheaton Warrenville South in Thursday's regional final.

"I thought we did a pretty nice job of breaking down their zone," Nussbaum said. "We finally were able to get the ball down on the block where we wanted to get it the whole game."

Sophomore forward Claire Fleming led the Redhawks in scoring with 13 points.

Kelley Hendrick contributed 12 points and Jessica Carter tossed in 10 for the winners.

Downers South (13-15) led 11-10 after one quarter. Naperville Central pulled ahead by 10 in the second quarter before settling for a 23-17 edge at intermission.

Gianna Pecora made three 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 13 points, while Deedee Scalzetti made two 3s and scored 11 for the Mustangs.

"We did a lot of things we wanted to do, but we couldn't finish well and just let a lot of things slip through the cracks," Downers South coach Mike McGinnis said. "In the end I think a lot of girls just got tired and it got away from us."