SKOKIE — Niles North’s Kienya Jones is a throwback when it comes to finishing.
The 5-10 senior used her dominant post moves Wednesday to rack up 20 points in the Niles North Regional semifinals, but more importantly she finished off a spirited Leyden underdog as the Vikings earned a 52-38 victory.
The teams were tied 22-22 at halftime, but Niles North (20-9) started to pull away midway through the third quarter. In one eight-minute stretch over the third and fourth quarters, Jones had 12 points and controlled the lane.
“We needed her,” Vikings head coach Dan Paxson said. “We were struggling and she really closed the deal. She has that ability to take over a game because she’s such a physical player.”
Jones felt it was up to her to put Niles North on the right path.
“We were a little dead,” Jones said. “At halftime we just said that wasn’t our game; let’s start anew and do something different. Our season would have been over if we didn’t get it done.”
Jones began her high school career on the perimeter as a guard. But over the last three seasons she got stronger and began to focus on her post moves.
“(Adrian) Dantley and Moses Malone, that’s what I like to do,” Jones said. “The coaches have really helped me with that, pushing me and knocking me down. I probably have five or six moves I like to do.”
While setting up camp under the basket is her bread-and-butter, what makes Jones so valuable is she’s more than just a post player.
“She can go coast-to-coast on a long rebound, she can finish with contact, she has energy in our press and goes baseline to baseline on defense,” Paxson said. “She’s also done a lot of work on her post moves and she does a great job reading what the defense is going to do.”
Jones’ teammates say that the intimidating Jones has a playful side.
“She gives herself compliments,” junior Stephanie Donado said. “In practice, whenever she shoots and makes a shot she says, ‘Good job, Kienya.’ She’s really fun to be around and is a good teammate.”
No. 7-seeded Niles North will bid for a regional championship Friday on its home court when it plays host to No. 2 Glenbrook South.
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“We have to play a lot stronger and have better communication,” Jones said. “We have to play like champions.”
* Leyden senior Alondra Chavarria (19 points) finished her high school career in style, scoring half of the Eagles’ points. She had to carry much of the load when sophomore point guard Artasia Gusman suffered an injury to her nose in the third quarter.
“It was tough not having (Gusman) out there,” Chavarria said. “As a leader I had to put the team on my back. I tried to catch us back up.”
Rob Valentin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press