Lockport overwhelms Andrew to win regional title

LOCKPORT - Lockport was ready.

Using the smothering defense they have displayed all season, the Porters raced out to a huge lead and continued their amazing season by accomplishing something for the first time in seven seasons.

Winning a regional championship.

That came in a 54-29 victory over Andrew on Tuesday evening in the title game of the Class 4A Lockport Regional.

“I love it for them. I’m very happy for them,” Lockport coach Darien Jacobs said. “It feels great, that’s the only word I can use.”

The Porters (28-4) now have 12 regional championships in their history but this is only the third since 1998-99.

This is Jacobs’s third season as head coach. Lockport improved from a 12-19 record last year. The 28 victories ties the school record for most in school history, set 39 years ago.

“I’m building a team culture, that’s the difference,” Jacobs said. “This season I’ve been a lot more genuine as a coach and a person.”

Playing the SouthWest Suburban Conference rival Thunderbolts for the third time this season, Lockport never trailed and wasted no time in exerting itself for its seventh straight win and 13th in 14 games.

With the score tied 2-2 with 5:29 left in the first quarter, the Porters went on a 19-0 run over the next eight minutes. It was 15-2 at the end of the first quarter and a jumper by Alaina Peetz made it 21-2 with 5:22 left in the second quarter.

Peetz, a senior swing player, finished with three points but added 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. She missed all of last season after having hip surgery.

“This means the world, especially my senior season,” she said. “Just to do it with this team and my sister really means everything.”

Her sister is sophomore Katie Peetz, who finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

“We were a little nervous before the game,” Katie Peetz said. “But once we came out we had a lot of energy, especially from the crowd, and just settled in and made good shots.”

Lucy Hynes, a senior guard, who has led Lockport in scoring numerous times this season, did so again with 12 points, including six straight in the first quarter.

“This feels really good but we’re not finished,” Hynes said. “It was a full team effort and we’ve worked really hard for this. The last two years we lost in the first game of the regional, so it feels great to win it my senior season.”

Lockport led 25-7 at halftime and forced 14 of the T-Bolts' 19 turnovers in the first half.

“I’m really proud of the kids and we played our hearts out,” Andrew coach Bobby Matz said. “But we got overwhelmed by their defense, I called a timeout when we were down 6-2 in the first quarter and it felt like it was 16-2. That’s because of their defense.”

Andrew (16-16), which last won a regional title in 2001-02, played good defense too, forcing 18 turnovers in the game, but couldn’t convert shots. Lockport led 34-18 after three and senior Evan Gilleylen (6 points) made a runner in the lane to close the T-Bolts within 34-20. That was as close as they were since the end of the first quarter.

But the Porters responded with a 14-0 run, including eight points by Katie Peetz, to clinch the win.

Sophomore swing player Evelyn Ingram had nine points and five rebounds and junior Laura Arstikaitis added eight points and six rebounds as every Porter played and nine of them scored.

Senior guard Allie Krueger hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 34 seconds and finished with eight points to lead Andrew.

“We got a great lead and played really good defense,” Arstikaitis said. “I think this season has been amazing but it’s just a lot of hard work in practice.”

It was the 12th time this season, and third straight, that Lockport has held an opponent under 30 points.

The Porters will play Lincoln-Way West, a 48-42 winner over host Lincoln-Way East, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the second semifinal of the Rich Township Sectional.

Lockport won both meetings against the Warriors this season en route to its first-ever SWSC title.

“Playing Lincoln-Way West will be good,” Katie Peetz said. “It’s been great competition this season and hopefully we can keep it going.”