:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/IWE3FREKKFCPLVLJ3IAY5KNX6E.jpg)
WOODSTOCK – When Woodstock North was unable to get off a shot at the final buzzer, Marengo’s girls basketball players stormed over to their bench and celebrated what certainly felt like their biggest win of the season Tuesday.
Marengo rallied from a nine-point deficit at halftime to beat the Thunder, 43-40, spoiling North’s dreams – at least temporarily – of its first Kishwaukee River Conference championship. Marengo’s win moved the Indians (18-10, 8-1 KRC) into a first-place tie with North, with one game left for each team.
“They beat us back on our home court, so I felt like it was a really huge win,” said sophomore guard Gracie Gentleman, who transferred from St. Viator before the season. “We never gave up. We’ve worked so hard since we lost to them, and I feel like we deserved it.”
North is trying to capture the first basketball conference championship (girls or boys) in the school’s 12-year history. Marengo is going for its second consecutive KRC title after sharing it with Burlington Central last season.
“I can’t say it was a beautifully played game across the board, but it was a gutty win for us,” Indians coach Nick Rode. “The type it takes to win this time of year, which is a lot of heart and grit.”
Marengo trailed, 22-13, at halftime but started the second half on 12-4 run. Adriana Georgiades started the run with two buckets inside, Alexis Kunde hit a 3, Jennifer Heinberg found her way inside for two, and Gentleman buried a 3.
Heinberg finished with a team-high 11 points, making 6 of 7 free throws, Gentleman chipped in eight points and two 3s, and Georgiades had seven.
“At halftime, we stuck with the game plan, and we wanted a bunch of short and sure passes,” Rode said. “I really thought Alexis Kunde gave us a huge spark, getting the ball in the middle of that zone, and freeing up some opportunities for us.”
A putback by Kierra Morris (10 rebounds) gave the Indians their first lead of the second half, 27-26, with 2:50 remaining in the third. Marengo outscored the Thunder, 17-8, in the quarter on 7-of-10 shooting.
North, meanwhile, hit only 3 of 11 shots.
“[Marengo] probably shot 75% that quarter,” North coach Mike Lewis said. “They did a really nice job of getting the ball into the middle of our zone and kicking it back out for shots. We were just a little late getting there.”
Marengo took its biggest lead, 37-32, on a pair of free throws by Lilly Johnson with 6:05 remaining. Johnson, who opened the fourth quarter with a 3, struggled with her shot in the first half, missing three free throws.
The 5-foot-6 guard finished with 10 points, including seven in the fourth.
“My shots just weren’t falling for me early,” Johnson said. “Toward the end, it was a lot more pressure, but I just tried to think of the team. I’ve never really been full-time varsity before, so it’s a real good feeling.”
North tied the score at 37 on two free throws each from Lacey Schaffter and Colette Jones and one from Katelynn Ward.
Marengo held North without a field goal in the fourth quarter and outscored the Thunder, 6-3, the rest of the way. North's Abby Hartmann threw a full-court pass on an inbounds play with 3.5 seconds to go, but Ward was unable to get a shot up with Georgiades stripping her near the top of the key.
Hartmann led North with 12 points, Ward had nine points, four steals and seven rebounds, and Schaffter tossed in seven points and three assists.
Lewis expects a more intense atmosphere Friday at North in the Thunder's KRC finale against Woodstock.
“You can’t fall into a conference championship,” Lewis said. “We’re not going to sit here and hope Marengo loses. We don't want to win that way. We’re going to go and do what we need to do.”
STAR OF THE GAME
Lilly Johnson, Marengo, jr., G
The 5-foot-6 guard came up big in the fourth quarter, sinking a 3 and making 4 of 6 free throws on her way to 10 points.
THE NUMBER
1: Marengo and Woodstock North both have one conference loss after Tuesday.
AND ANOTHER THING …
Marengo hosts Harvard and Woodstock North hosts Woodstock on Friday in their final KRC games.
Marengo 43, Woodstock North 40
MARENGO (43)
Gentleman 3 0-0 8, Johnson 2 5-10 10, Kunde 2 0-0 5, Morris 1 0-0 2, Heinberg 2 6-7 11, Georgiades 3 1-2 7. Totals: 13 12-19 43.
WOODSTOCK NORTH (40)
Schaffter 1 4-6 7, Ford 1 0-0 3, Jones 0 2-2 2, Ward 4 1-2 9, Hartmann 4 4-6 12, Quist 0 3-4 3, Morey 2 0-0 4. Totals: 12 14-20 40.
Marengo 5 8 17 13 – 43
Woodstock North 14 8 8 10 – 40
3-point goals: Marengo 5 (Gentleman 2, Johnson, Kunde, Heinberg), Woodstock North 2 (Schaffter, Ford). Total fouls: Marengo 19, Woodstock North 17. Fouled out: Morris (Mgo), Ford (WN).