On the plus side, Marian Catholic has made it reasonable for the hoteliers of this area to expect its arrival each March, what with five trips to the Class AA state tournament quarterfinals in the last six years.
On the somewhat less sparkly side, not since 2002 have the Spartans even had a chance to take home a championship. This trip was no different, after a semifinal loss to Fenwick on Saturday.
“We were kind of upset that we didn’t get to the final game,” Spartans senior
Sarah Pillon
said. “But we were thinking that only two teams get to finish with a win in the final game of the season. We wanted to be one of those teams.”
Marian Catholic did that Saturday night, winning a rousing Class AA third-place game 63-59 in overtime over Morton. The Spartans endured an 11-0 Potters run to start the second half, a three-pointer from Morton’s
Tracy Pontius
that rimmed out at the regulation buzzer and some questionable clock management to end on the proverbial high note.
Three Spartans starters return to attempt a sixth Downstate trip next season. Auspiciously, two returning cast members led the way in the third-place game. Junior
Suzanne Grossnickle
scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while unheralded junior
Jennifer Szala
added 10 points in the second half and overtime.
More Top Picks Best Mattresses For Couples With Different Preferences
“It’s just the players that go through Marian, they play with such desire and heart all the time,” Spartans senior
Caitlin Pauley
said. “We don’t have to have big names to be a great team.”
Unlucky number
Morton’s 13 points in the 36-13 loss to Bolingbrook in the semifinals is an all-time state finals low?breaking the record (17) set by Nashville last weekend in the Class A quarterfinals and Sandburg’s Class AA mark (18) in a 1981 loss to Marshall. The Potters also set records for futility in number of field goals (three) and tied the mark for fewest points in a quarter (zero in second).
Mauvolyene Adams
had 10 points and
Brittney Thomas
eight with six rebounds and three steals in the Raiders’ win.
Three-point queen
Madeline Kish’s
eight three-pointers were good enough for the Sandburg junior to win the Class AA title in the three-point contest. Then she hit 11 to beat Class A champion
Tiffany Williams
of Junction Gallatin County in the “Queen of the Hill” shootout.
Driscoll’s
GiGi DeGrazia
was second in Class AA with seven. She finished seventh in the Class AA golf tournament in October and 16th the year before.
Doctor’s visit
Buffalo Grove’s
Allison Mocchi,
who suffered a dislocated right knee in the first quarter of Friday’s quarterfinal loss to Morton, said she’ll be examined early this week.
“I don’t know if the dislocation is as bad this time,” said the junior, who said there’s no doubt she’ll be ready for the 2007-08 season. She suffered a dislocation in the same knee between her freshman and sophomore years.
Coaches’ choices
Fenwick and Bolingbrook each had two players named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State team. Fenwick was represented by
Devereaux Peters
and
Alison Jackson
and Bolingbrook by Thomas and
Samantha Woods.
Also from the Chicago area were New Trier’s
Amy Jaeschke,
Buffalo Grove’s
More Top Picks Dreo Pro Max
Maggie Mocchi,
Maine South’s
Ashley Tomzik,
Warren’s
Sarah Boothe,
Hillcrest’s
Briana Dunlap,
Hope’s
Zhaque Gray
and Resurrection’s
Deanna Ortiz.