The New Trier girls basketball team didn’t score in the game’s final 3 minutes, 53 seconds on Thursday, yet the Trevians came away with a 41-39 win over Evanston in the Class 4A Glenbrook South Sectional championship.
The top-seeded Trevians (29-1) weren’t able to exhale until Leighah-Amori Wool’s 3-point attempt from the baseline with time expiring bounced off the rim.
“Oh my goodness,” New Trier junior forward Jeannie Boehm said. “I was holding my breath. I’ve played with her enough to know she’s dangerous, but I think we did a good job of covering her.”
Boehm scored a game-high 16 points.
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New Trier ended Evanston’s season for a second consecutive year in the sectional final. The Trevians will play Geneva at 7 p.m. Monday at the Conant Supersectional. New Trier is looking for its first trip to the state tournament since the 2006-07 season.
“I’m so proud of the kids,” said New Trier coach Teri Rodgers, who wore the net around her neck. “This game showed how much they trust one another. They stuck together.”
Tied 27-all at the half, New Trier took a 35-32 lead into the fourth quarter. Junior guard Haley Greer’s 3-pointer 20 seconds into the fourth put the Trevians ahead 38-32. It was the biggest lead of the game for either team.
But third-seeded Evanston (19-12) chipped away and got within two, 41-39, on two free throws by junior guard Savannah Norfleet with 35.8 seconds remaining.
New Trier didn’t help itself by missing the front end of three one-and-ones in the final 41.4 seconds.
“Things happen, but we came together and made plays when we had to,” Boehm said. “We found a way to pull it out. A win is a win.”
Greer finished with 12 points, and junior guard Kathryn Pedi had 10 points. Norfleet finished with 13 points, and Wool, a sophomore forward, contributed 12 points in defeat.
Twitter: @harnesspreps