With his team trailing Sandburg by eight points, coach Tom Dineen motivated his Buffalo Grove starters Saturday with a warning.
“I told my starters they had about one minute to decide they wanted to play, or they would watch the game from bench,” Dineen said of his brief speech during a timeout in the second quarter.
Enough said.
Sixth-ranked Buffalo Grove responded with 15 unanswered points en route to a 54-37 victory over No. 7 Sandburg in the Sweet 16 tournament.
Dineen’s threat was equally effective in the second half. The host Bison went on a 13-2 run to open the second half and took a 35-18 lead.
Kendra Ryl led Buffalo Grove (19-3) with 18 points, and teammate Allison Guth added 16.
Sarah Kustok scored 16 to lead Sandburg (17-5), which has lost two straight since beating top-ranked Fenwick on Tuesday.
In other games from the Sweet 16, Fenwick quickly got out of the blocks and rolled past visiting Lyons 63-46. Katie O’Grady led the Friars with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, and Claudette Towers added 15. Fenwick put the game away early, outscoring Lyons 20-5 in the first quarter.
Kamila Whitman scored 16 points and Megan Nelson added 12 points and 12 boards as Hinsdale South (19-4) outlasted Streamwood 52-43 at Fenwick. . . . Andi Brooke scored 23 points to pace Schaumburg (12-8) to a 48-39 victory over visiting Maine South.
Hinsdale Central 73, York 37: No. 4 Hinsdale Central (20-1, 9-0) held York (11-12, 6-3) to single-digit scoring in the first, third and fourth quarters and was led by Morgan Kasperek, who scored 22 second-half points in the West Suburban Silver game. Elizabeth Marcellus scored 10 for York.
Mother McAuley 63, Franklin (Wis.) 48: Sherry Wagner scored 27 points and had six steals for No. 9 McAuley (18-2).
McAuley outrebounded Franklin, Wisconsin’s 1999 state runner-up, 37-21 and held off a brief fourth-quarter rally to prevail.
Christine Rathke scored 22 for Franklin (11-2).
Barrington 57, Conant 47: Lindsay Richards and Nicky Eason each scored 15 points and Eason added 10 rebounds to lead No. 11 Barrington (18-4, 6-0) in the Mid-Suburban League West. Kristen Aloisio led Conant (14-8, 3-3) with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Fremd 71, Hoffman Estates 64: No. 18 Fremd (15-6, 5-1) was powered by Maggie Fontana, who had 29 points, 22 rebounds and eight assists in the Mid-Suburban West game. Kristin Korzenski scored 21 and Mandy Mennella added 20 for Hoffman.
Dundee-Crown 57, Woodstock 29: Melissa Tarrant scored 19 to guide No. 19 Dundee-Crown (16-4, 12-1) in the Fox Valley.
Downers Grove South 55, Proviso East 37: Heather Mansour scored 19 points to lead Downers South (11-10, 7-1) in the West Suburban Gold.
Glenbrook South 73, Deerfield 58: Shannie McCreery scored 17 points to lift Glenbrook South (15-6).
Lane Tech 57, St. Ignatius 47: Melissa Wegner’s 17 points and 10 rebounds paced Lane Tech (14-8).
Libertyville 55, Warren 34: Libertyville scored the game’s first 11 points and never looked back in the North Suburban contest. Audrey Smith led Libertyville (15-5, 8-1) with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Luther South 51, Walther Lutheran 39: Janet Henry’s 27 points led Luther South (13-8, 6-5) in the Private School League.
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Maine West 53, Niles North 41: Linnea O’Neill’s 18 points led Maine West to the Central Suburban North victory.
Maria 71, Regina 56: Maria (12-12, 3-3) won in the GCAC Red with Mary Cain’s 31 points. Ashley Robinson led Regina (11-10, 3-3) with 22.
Mt. Assisi 59, Joliet Catholic 48: Julie Welsh’s 22 points and 10 rebounds sparked Mt. Assisi (11-8).
Naperville Central 54, Glenbard North 32: Naperville Central pulled away in the third quarter, when it outscored Glenbard North 14-2 in the DuPage Valley contest. Corey Bitzer led Naperville (15-7, 6-3) with 15 points and seven assists.
“Corey has been super,” Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. “She’s the best point guard I’ve ever had. I think watching her you see how much the point guard can control the game.”
Neuqua Valley 52, Lake Park 51: Cassandra Stark hit the winning free throw with seven seconds left and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Neuqua (16-7, 8-1) in the Upstate Eight. Teammate RneshaBaldwin scored 21 with five steals. Ashley Stewart scored 15 for Lake Park (15-6, 7-3).
Oak Forest 52, Reavis 39: Oak Forest (14-7) downed Reavis (5-14) behind Heather Kunkel’s 22 points.
Plainfield 52, Batavia 36: Plainfield (11-11, 5-4) won in the Suburban Prairie Red with Kristen Johnston’s 15 points and six steals.
Prospect 68, Glenbrook North 36: Brittani Cottrell scored 13 as Prospect (15-4) won its 10th straight.
Rolling Meadows 45, Elk Grove 39: Jen Brown led a comeback victory for Rolling Meadows (10-9, 3-3) with 14 points and five steals in the Mid-Suburban East. Elk Grove fell to 3-16, 1-5.
St. Benedict 72, Good Counsel 58: Sylvia Lopen and Molly Sturch each scored 17 points as St. Benedict (17-7, 8-0) clinched the GCAC White with the victory.
Seton 54, Trinity 49: Jennifer Hoffman’s 24 points and 10 rebounds carried Seton (7-13, 5-3) in the GCAC White. Kim Barber led Trinity with 23 points.
Timothy Christian 58, Chicago Christian 43: Jorie Munk’s 20 points carried Timothy Christian (18-3, 9-1) in the Private School League. Heidi Visser scored 15 for Chicago Christian (10-11, 5-6).
Waubonsie Valley 49, DeKalb 45: Kellie Friedheim’s 17 points and 12 rebounds led Waubonsie (11-11, 8-1) in the Upstate Eight.
West Aurora 57, West Chicago 40: Jackie Shook scored 17 of her game-high 29 points in the first half to lead West Aurora (17-5, 7-2) in the DuPage Valley. West Aurora put the game away with a 19-2 run in the first half.
Wheaton Warrenville South 63, Glenbard East 26: Wheaton South (16-4, 7-2) cruised in the DuPage Valley with Charliss Ridley’s 20 points.