Lillie Van Dyke’s 3 in final seconds sends Oswego East to dramatic win over Oswego

OSWEGO – Lillie Van Dyke couldn’t help Saturday but think back to all the moments she’s missed on the basketball court.

Oswego East’s junior forward missed all but about six games her freshman year with a torn ACL in her right knee. A partially torn ACL in the same knee cost her a good chunk of her sophomore season.

“I got two years taken away from me,” Van Dyke said, “so I tried to just remain confident. When I got the ball, just shoot it.”

Van Dyke’s fearlessness led to an unforgettable moment.

She drilled a wide-open 3-pointer from the left wing with 10 seconds left to break a tie with visiting Oswego, and it proved the game-winning shot in Oswego East’s thrilling 58-56 crosstown win.

Van Dyke had not even attempted a 3-point shot until the last one, but didn’t hesitate in a wild scramble on Oswego East’s last possession. Maggie Lewandowski saved the ball near midcourt and passed it to Nicole Warbinski, who kicked it over to Van Dyke in the clear.

“When she let it go, I said ‘That looks like it’s going in,‘” Oswego East coach Abe Carretto said. “A lot of times when she shoots it’s kind of flat. I thought I hope it has just enough to get over the rim, and it did.”

Van Dyke may not shoot many perimeter shots in games, but she practices them. During Saturday’s shootaround she smartly shot in the same group as Lewandowski and Merritt, who scored a game-high 22 points, two of Oswego East’s best scorers.

“I’m not a 3-point shooter, I’m a post but I still have to take shots with confidence,” said Van Dyke, who had six points and two rebounds Saturday. “I didn’t think about it; I just shot it. I shoot a lot in shooting drills, and I always warm up with [Lewandowski and Merritt]. I like their intensity. It pushes me to be the best.”

Warbinski scored nine points and Lewandowski seven for Oswego East (9-7, 4-3 Southwest Prairie Conference), which won its seventh straight crosstown meeting.

Kendall Grant had 21 points, five rebounds and five assists, Peyton Johnson scored 16 points and Alexis Fomby 11 points for Oswego (8-9, 2-5).

Oswego, seeking its first win over Oswego East since February 2021, led 30-28 at halftime on a 3-pointer by Fomby, a sophomore guard.

Oswego East surged ahead with an 11-2 run to take a 45-37 lead on a 3-pointer by Annabelle Wiliams, and took a 47-39 lead to the fourth quarter.

But Oswego came back to tie it 55-55 with 1:07 left on Johnson’s two free throws. The Panthers went 11-for-12 at the line in the fourth quarter, a reflection of their renewed aggression that didn’t surprise their coach.

“They don’t quit. They never quit. We were down 10 to Joliet Central with two minutes to go and we came back to beat them,” Oswego coach Dave Lay said.

“I didn’t think it was over, but we had to toughen up a little bit. Oswego East was getting all those loose balls and rebounds. I told them if were going to come back that had to change, and it did. We got the rebounds and loose balls.”

Oswego East got a combined six 3-pointers from role players Warbinski, Williams and Van Dyke, and needed it with two of its top scorers having relatively quiet nights.

The one that didn’t, Merritt, carried the Wolves in the first half with 14 of her 22 points, nine during a 12-0 run in the second quarter.

“Des, she gets up for a lot of games, always. I just worry about her with foul trouble,” Carretto said. “Luckily she was able to stay in.”

In a frenetic final minute, Oswego turned it over twice with possessions with a chance for the lead.

“I thought we competed as much as I could ask them to,” Lay said. “We were right there. If we get a bucket there I think we win. We just didn’t execute at the end.

“It was a fun game to be a part of, I’m just sick of being at the losing end. We get a chance again in 10 days Hopefully we learn something.”

Van Dyke, meanwhile, cherished a memory on the court that she had few of the last two years.

“Honestly I’m just so happy,” she said. “It was really mentally draining. I put all my work into it and it was taken away. To get it taken away again, same knee, it’s tough. But I have a lot more confidence now, especially on offense.”