Hersey works OT to edge Rolling Meadows
After Rolling Meadows closed regulation with a dramatic 12-1 run for 44-44 tie, the Mustangs seemed to have all the momentum heading into overtime against state-ranked Hersey on Friday night.
But the visiting Huskies adjusted their mindset and came away with a crucial 50-46 triumph that kept them in solid contention for the Mid-Suburban League East girls basketball championship.
Hersey improved to 16-3 and 4-1 in the East, 1 game behind Buffalo Grove (13-4, 5-0).
The two teams meet next Friday in Arlington Heights to begin round two of divisional play.
"Mentally, we came out at the start of overtime and told ourselves the game was tied 0-0," said Huskies junior guard Gina Miklasz (14 points), who shared team-scoring honors with senior center Maggie Berigan. "We just had to play our game."
Meadows got on the board first in OT when junior guard Kyra Spiwak (10 points) made a free throw with 3:23 left.
A free throw by junior Kelly Weyhrich (9 points) tied it at 45-45 with 1:12 left.
The Huskies then grabbed the lead for good when Miklasz found Berigan with a perfect pass inside. Berigan tossed in the layup for a 47-45 lead with 39 seconds remaining.
A free throw by junior Katherine Nolan (game-high 16 points) got the hosts (13-7, 3-2) to within 47-46 with 14.1 seconds left.
Berigan was fouled with 12.8 seconds left and made a free throw for a 48-46 lead.
A turnover by Meadows resulted in two more free throws by Miklasz with 10.6 seconds left to seal the win.
"We had to win," Berigan said. "We knew that going into the overtime. We knew we had to play harder than we had in the third and fourth quarters."
Meadows showed it comeback ability in the first quarters as well.
Hersey built a 13-4 lead following a 16-footer by junior guard Carly Cooper (4 points) and 3-pointer by Claire Gritt (9 points).
But the Mustangs were able to pull to within 15-11 by the end of the quarter, thanks to two inside buckets by Nolan and a 3-pointer from Campagna (11 points).
A 3-pointer by Meadows' senior Megan King tied the game at 19 and the Mustangs went ahead 20-19 on a free throw by Hannah Mickey.
But back-to-back 3-pointers from Miklasz and Gritt enabled the Huskies to eventually lead 27-22 at the break.
"I thought they had us very well scouted," said Huskies coach Mary Fendley, who was back on the floor where she was a high-scoring all-area guard for the Mustangs. "They know exactly what we do. Despite that, we needed to make better decision when we had control of the game."
The Huskies were in control 38-27 late in the third quarter and enjoyed a 43-32 lead when Miklasz hit a 17-footer with 3:59 left in the game.
But that's when Meadow s began its big comeback, sparked by 7-of-8 free throw shooting. Melissa Spiwak and Nolan each were 2-of-3 while Kyra Spiwak converted 3-of-4.
Meadows trailed 43-38 with less than two minutes left but Nolan scored 6 straight points to put the Mustangs ahead 44-43 with 24.5 seconds.
A free throw by Berugann with 9.7 seconds left tied the game 44-44. the way it stood going to overtime.
"Our kids are coming so close (to a big win)," said Meadows coach Ryan Kirkorsky. "They have been in a lot of these kind of games and have shown progress in late-game situations."
Nolan also finished with 3 rebounds.
"I thought that was probably played the best game of Katherine's career," Kirkorsky added. "And we had a bunch of kids stepping up in their roles.
"Hersey made more plays down the stretch in overtime. But I am extremely proud of my kids."
Hersey comes back to play Burlington Central at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Subway Classic at Willowbrook High School.
"We had no doubt that Rolling Meadows would be a tough game," Fendley said. "Like us, they play a tough schedule so they are ready for big games. They were more ready for this game than us. We are grateful for the win."
"We always expect a tough game from Rolling Meadows," Miklasz said. "We know a lot of their girls and it's always a fun game."