Mother McAuley might want to consider changing its nickname from the Mighty Macs to the Mighty heart attacks. McAuley coach Rick Mundo just might be on the verge of cardiac arrest after watching his team pull out yet another miracle in this young season.
Down two points to Sandburg with 3.3 ticks remaining on the clock, Bridget Boyce took the inbound pass from Jena Zientek and tossed up a fade-away three-pointer from the corner which hit nothing but net, lifting McAuley to a 56-55 win at the buzzer.
“The only time I hit a game-winner like that was in 5th grade,” Zientek, a junior, remembered. “This one sure felt a lot better.”
Zientek finished with a game-high 21 points, including another key three-pointer that pulled her team within 55-53 in the waning moments. Sandburg turned the ball over on a 5-second call trying to inbound the ball, setting up the game-winner for McAuley.
“This was a tough one to swallow,” Sandburg coach Kathy Krueger said after watching her team fall to 8-4 while just missing an opportunity to hand McAuley (8-0) its first loss of the season. “It was a storybook ending for them and that girl will remember that shot the rest of her life.”
It seemed only appropriate the game would be decided on the final possession. Neither team held more than a five-point lead the entire game while there were nine lead changes.
“Six of our eight games have come down to the last possession,” Mundo explained. “Not to sound cocky, but when you’re playing Mother McAuley the game isn’t over until the clock reads zero.”
Erika Nelson led Sandburg with 20 points while teammate Lauren Palmer added 17.
— Bill Harrison
Nike Tournament of Champions
Following its 57-54 win over Berkeley (Calif.) at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Pennsylvania’s Germantown Academy and 6-foot-7-inch junior center Gillian Goring are a step closer, a big step closer, to a showdown with defending national champion Narbonne (Calif.) in the Red Division.
Leading 44-32 after three, Germantown (9-0) went scoreless for nearly eight minutes before prevailing on four JoAnna Rhoads (13 points, five assists) free throws. Laura Kurz led the Patriots with 15 points while Goring added 12 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. Robin Roberson had a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds in Berkeley’s (6-1) first loss of the season.
Narbonne (6-1) defeated Upperman (Tenn.) 60-50 as Jamie Funn scored 10 points. Narbonne led just 52-49 with 1:46 to play after Amanda Austin hit a three-pointer for Upperman (10-2). Narbonne then used a 8-1 run to seal the victory.
Mountain View (Utah) limited North Atlanta to 10 points in the middle quarters in cruising to a 64-38 victory. Danielle Cheesman poured in 21 of her 28 points in the first half for the Bruins.
In the day’s first game of championship-bracket action, Hanford (Calif.) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to top South Sioux City 65-57. Tara Chennault (21 points) and Amy Parrish (18 points, 10 rebounds) combined for 29 second-half points to fuel the Lady Pups (5-1) rally.
In the consolation bracket, Cappie Pondexter tallied 26 points and eight assists as No. 2 Marshall (9-1) downed Mt. Vernon (Va.) 63-53. Pondexter scored six points in a 9-3 fourth-quarter run that put the game away.
Blue Division: In the championship bracket, Britney Jordan scored 19 points to lead Peoria Central (12-0) past Dunbar 55-49. Peoria outscored Dunbar 20-8 in the second quarter. Desire Wheeler had a 29 points for Dunbar (7-4).
In consolation play, Westinghouse fell 78-43 to Mountain Pointe (Ariz.). Erica Simon led Westinghouse with a game-high 23 points while Jackie Lee paced the Pride with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Hope improved to 4-2 with a 58-45 triumph over Whitney Young (2-5). Shuntae Robenson led Hope with 16 points and five steals while Lachelle Lyles added 15 points and 15 rebounds.
In other games
Wheaton North tournament: No. 4 Hinsdale Central improved to 12-0 with a 63-47 victory over Schaumburg. Melanie Pronger scored 18 points–all on three-pointers–and Morgan Kasperek added 13 points for the Red Devils. Hinsdale Central went on a 13-0 run in the first quarter to break a 7-7 tie. Andrea Brooke had 20 points for Schaumburg (6-5). . . . Kristen Feeney scored 17 points and Kory Begy and Meghan Barrett added 14 each as Lyons Township (7-4) defeated Lincoln-Way 55-40. . . . Pam Findlay had 17 points as Glenbrook South (9-4) routed St. Francis 75-42. Courtney Murnane’s 16 points led St. Francis (6-6). . . . Julie Mantilla scored 17 points as Hersey (6-5) breezed past West Aurora 62-47.
Washington 47, Regina 43: Angelina Williams scored 11 of her game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter as the No. 5 Minutewomen (8-3) rallied. Ashley Austin hit a three-pointer to put Washington up for good at 44-41.
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Clarise Jones’ 16 points led Regina (6-2).
Proviso East tournament: Khara Smith netted 22 points and Claudia Wilson pitched in with 10 as No. 12 Proviso West (13-3) cruised past Reavis 62-40. Katie King’s 21 points led Reavis (2-8). . . . Lane Tech (7-5) routed Chicago Vocational 57-24 behind Melissa Wegner’s 17 points.
Bowen 50, Harper 27: Taheisha King had 19 points and eight rebounds for the Boilermakers (10-4, 2-1) in the Public South.
Cary-Grove 63, McHenry 52: The Trojans (8-2, 5-1) won in the Fox Valley behind Amy Kaplan’s 19 points.
Clemente 71, Juarez 52: Robin Cotton poured in 24 points and Rosanna DeJesus added 23 points for the Wildcats (5-1, 4-0) in the Public North.
Crane 49, Jones 27: Rodtrice Tucker scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to carry Crane (5-3, 3-0) in the Public West.
Curie 83, Farragut 30: Shimera Jones had 28 points, eight steals and four assists for the Condors (4-1, 2-0) in the Public West.
Glenbard tournament: Jackie Falson’s 15 points led Glenbard North to a 44-29 victory over Glenbard East. . . . Tali Johnston had 10 points to lead Glenbard South 52-28 over Lemont. Kristen Earnest scored 18 points for Lemont.
Harlan 49, Bogan 31: Tatiana Pledger put in 17 points to go with Chana Bates’ 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead Harlan (7-4, 2-0) in the Public South.
Hyde Park 65, Fenger 55: LaToya Watts scored 22 points for the Indians (7-3, 2-1) in the Public Superconference. Tomara Ford led Fenger (8-5, 1-1) with 21 points.
Illiana Christian 43, Chicago Christian 40: Jessica Eenigenburg and Erica Bruxvoort scored 13 points apiece for the Vikings (6-5, 3-3) in the Private School League.
Maine South 62, Niles West 49: Liz Bondi collected 26 points and 10 rebounds for Maine South (10-3, 3-1) in the Central Suburban South.
Marian Catholic 73, Seton 30: Kandyce Green scored 24 points in Marian Catholic’s (6-2) non-conference rout.
Thornwood 57, Thornton Fractional South 37: Samantha Grier and Tameka Harris each had 11 points as the Thunderbirds (7-4) rolled.