Even when the odds were stacked against her, Mia Lakstigala was going to do everything possible to extend her remarkable senior year.
She proved it in the second quarter after recording a steal and getting knocked to the floor, all the while maintaining her poise to sustain her dribble.
Lakstigala capped her final season at Naperville Central by scoring a game-high 20 points and adding nine rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Her gutsy performance was not enough to offset Bolingbrook’s quickness and athleticism as the Raiders ran past the Redhawks 54-39 Thursday in the Class 4A Neuqua Valley Sectional championship game.
“It was a really hard-core game,” Lakstigala said. “We were doing everything we could to stay in the game, trying to grab loose balls and get back into it.
“I am really proud of everyone. We never gave up.”
Junior forward Lucy Schmid scored nine points and added six rebounds for the Redhawks (28-6).
An early Bolingbrook barrage of 3-pointers forced Naperville Central into catch-up mode from the start. Bolingbrook (25-4) jumped out to a 13-4 lead and was up by as many as 16 in the first half.
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Lakstigala was at her best during a riveting third quarter when Naperville Central tried to fight back from a 26-15 halftime deficit.
A skilled wing, Lakstigala showcased her high skill level. She scored 10 points in the third quarter, hitting two NBA-range 3-pointers and driving to the basket with authority.
Her 3-pointer pulled Naperville Central to within 8 points of the Raiders at 37-29 late in the third. Bolingbrook guard Gabriella Smith, who scored a team-best 17 points, answered with a 3-pointer to beat the buzzer.
Center Jahari Smith started the fourth quarter with a three-point play as the Raiders built an insurmountable lead.
“That three was the dagger,” Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. “The thing about this game … is that like (in) any sport, we had no way to prepare to play against their quickness. We could talk about it, but we could not match up with it.”
Still, it was a strong season for the Redhawks. They won the DuPage Valley with a 15-1 record and had the program’s longest playoff run since the 2005 team reached a Class AA supersectional.
“Winning conference is when we realized how good we were capable of doing this year,” Lakstigala said. “It’s terrible that the season is over. But the journey we had was great and I am really proud of how we finished the year.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.