Zoe Nanos powers Prairie Ridge past Burlington Central in 54-47 overtime win

BURLINGTON – Zoe Nanos had waited all season for an opportunity to take over a game.

The Prairie Ridge junior knew she needed to be ready after the Wolves graduated plenty of leaders from last season’s team. So she worked hard every day to make sure she’d be ready when the Wolves needed her.

On Tuesday night, Nanos finally got her shot.

Nanos scored 28 points and came up with clutch buckets down the stretch against Burlington Central to help Prairie Ridge come back and win 54-47 in overtime in their Fox Valley Conference game.

“It was really fun,” Nanos said. “We’re a new team and we really have come together. When we really work hard and play well together, we’re able to find success.”

The Wolves (5-9, 2-3) found success late Tuesday when it seemed improbable. Prairie Ridge trailed 42-34 with 1:30 left in the game when it went on an 8-2 run to force overtime.

Senior Bella Militello created a turnover and converted on a three-point play when she knocked in a layup and a free throw to make it a 42-39 Central lead with 41.9 left in the game. The two teams exchanged baskets before Nanos knocked in a 3-pointer to tie the game with less than 10 seconds.

“I kind of just shot it and hoped for the best,” Nanos said.

Nanos and the Wolves brought their momentum into overtime and took over for good. Prairie Ridge went on a 5-0 run to start the extra frame and Nanos scored six points to secure the win. She finished the game with seven rebounds as well.

“She’s a bulldog,” Wolves coach Tim Taege said. “That’s just what we’ve come to expect from Zoe. It doesn’t make it any easier on her, but we appreciate that she does that for us any given day.”

Junior Maia Cassin added 10 points and seven rebounds while Militello finished with nine points and six rebounds.

Taege was proud of the resilience the Wolves showed after the had blown an 18-10 halftime lead. He challenged the Wolves to fight in the final minutes of the game and Prairie Ridge responded with an important win to start the second half of the season.

“They didn’t give up and made a play or two, which just kind of fuels that momentum and that fire,” Taege said. “So they earned it. They earned it and they deserved it.”

Sophomore Audrey LaFleur led Central (4-13, 2-6) with 15 points while junior Ashley Waslo and sophomore Julia Scheuer each added eight points.

The Rockets had fought back after a sluggish first half. Central pressured the Wolves from the start of the second half, forcing Prairie Ridge to create turnover after turnover. The Rockets out scored the Wolves 20-8 in the third quarter.

“It was really fun,” Nanos said. “We’re a new team and we really have come together. When we really work hard and play well together, we’re able to find success.”

—  Zoe Nanos, Prairie Ridge junior

But some costly turnovers and missed layups and free throws cost a young Central team a chance at picking up a nice FVC win.

“I thought the effort was there, so I’m really proud of them for working through it,” Central coach Mike Carani said. “But we’re a young team. There’s a lot that we can build off of and learn from. Obviously, we want to come out on the right side of it, but there’s a lot of opportunity to grow and make sure that we’re moving in the right direction.”

Both teams will try to take valuable lessons from Tuesday’s game as they head into the second half of the season. For Nanos and the Wolves, Tuesday proved that their young roster can overcome adversity in the FVC.

“I think we can compete with a lot of the teams in our conference,” Nanos said. “I think if we bring this intensity we can find success in the second half of the season.”