Romeoville girls sneak by Plainfield Central to notch first win of season

PLAINFIELD – Romeoville and Plainfield Central began Thursday’s Southwest Prairie Conference girls basketball game seeking their first win of the season.

With about 10 seconds left, it was unsure who was going to come away with it.

The game was tied at 58, and Plainfield Central had the ball after calling timeout with 21.5 seconds to play. The Wildcats tried to work the ball around for a shot, but Romeoville’s Rylee Harris intercepted a pass with about 10 seconds left and took off for the basket at the other end of the court.

Harris, who finished with 13 points, missed a layup, but teammate Kazaria Smith was there for the rebound and put it in the basket for her game-high 26th and 27th points and a 60-58 lead with four seconds remaining. Central could not get a shot off before the final buzzer, and the Spartans (1-2, 1-1 SPC) recorded the victory.

“I was just hustling back to the other end in case she missed the shot,” Smith said. “It’s fun to play in a game like this that’s back and forth.

“It feels good to get that first win. It should lift the team up and give us some confidence.”

The young Spartans, who started three freshmen, a junior (Smith) and a senior (Harris), looked to be well on their way to a runaway victory in the late stages of the second quarter when they took their biggest lead of the night, 29-20, after a bucket by freshman Julissa Olague (six points).

Plainfield Central (0-5, 0-2) did not back down and went on an 8-0 run to make it 29-28 before Harris hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds left in the first half to send the Spartans into halftime with a 32-28 lead.

The intense battle continued throughout the second half, with Plainfield Central tying the game at 32 with 6:25 to play in the third. The Wildcats took their first lead, 40-38, with 3:56 left in the quarter on a three-point play by sophomore Maeve Carlton (18 points, 10 rebounds).

Romeoville got a 3-pointer by freshman Jamiah Player to retake the advantage, but Central countered with a basket by Na’Veyah Junior, who scored a team-high 23 points, to go up 42-41. Smith then delivered back-to-back baskets to put the Spartans ahead 45-42. Junior and Harris traded baskets before the end of the third, and Romeoville took a 47-44 lead into the final quarter.

“At halftime, I told the girls it could go two ways,” Central coach Tim Torkelson said. “We could get blown out in the second half, or we could keep battling and have a dogfight at the end. Our girls never quit battling. It wasn’t about lack of effort. We made some adjustments at halftime and never gave up.

“That was a huge game from Maeve Carlton with a double-double, and Na’Veyiah Junior is a tough matchup for a lot of people. We played well and did a lot of the little things right. It’s a tough one to lose, but if we keep playing like this, we’ll get on the other side of the win-loss column.”

Junior opened the fourth quarter with a driving basket before freshman Kacey Foust hit a 3-pointer to put Romeoville ahead 50-46. Plainfield Central answered with a 3-pointer by Hannah Reyes and a put-back by Kourtney Guyton to take a 51-50 lead. Foust followed with another 3-pointer for a 53-51 Spartans lead. The lead increased to 55-51 when Smith scored on a fast break after a turnover.

The score stood at 57-54 when Junior banked in a 3-pointer for Central to tie it, and Carlton made one of two free throws to put Central ahead 58-57 with 1:21 remaining. The Spartans tied it on a free throw by Harris with 1:04 left before getting the winning bucket by Smith a minute later.

“This was a fun one,” Romeoville coach Devon Friend said. “We knew Plainfield Central would give us a battle, and they did.

“Kacey Foust has ice in her veins hitting those 3-pointers. She is part of what we call ‘the super freshmen’ along with Jamiah Player and Julissa Olague. They go out and play hard all the time, and they inspire the rest of the team to do it. And Kazariah was just amazing.”