Girls Basketball: Stevenson tops Lake Zurich in regional final
By Phil Brozynski Contributor February 22, 2012 4:24PM
Stevenson's Katie Batman passes the ball over Zion-Benton's Morgan Franklin during Monday's sectional semifinal at Palatine. | Michelle LaVigne~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: April 23, 2012 1:50AM
When Stevenson seniors Olivia Whalen and Katie Batman made back-to-back three-pointers that followed a Lake Zurich basket to open the game, it was a bad omen for the host Bears.
Because from that point on in Thursday night’s IHSA Class 4A Lake Zurich regional title game, the Patriots put their foot on the accelerator and sped away for a 52-34 win.
It was No. 4 seed Stevenson’s first regional championship under coach Tom Dineen, who made a habit out of winning them while he was at Buffalo Grove. The Patriots (23-7 overall) advance to play at Palatine High School, in a Class 4A Sectional semifinal at 6 p.m. on Monday night against either No. 8 seed Zion-Benton, or top-seeded Fremd.
“Every regional championship is wonderful, but this one has special meaning to me because it’s my first one with this group,” Dineen said. “Alex (Elzinga), Katie (Batman) and Kari (Moffat) ... I’ve been with them all for three years, so to accomplish this with them is a great feeling.”
Stevenson shot a red-hot 60 percent from the field (12-for-20) in the first half, but it was the Patriots’ accuracy from beyond the arc that stole the show early. They made five of their first seven three-point attempts, led by Whalen (game and career-high 21 points), who had three of them.
Whalen had 17 of her points — and shot 7-for-9 from the field — by halftime. She also made six consecutive field goals from midway in the first quarter, until the start of the third. It allowed Stevenson to build a commanding 29-13 lead by intermission.
In fact, Whalen was so accurate early, it almost seemed like a shock when she missed her first two shots to begin the third quarter. She was nearly at a loss for words after cutting down the ceremonial nets with her teammates after the game.
“When I was warming up before the game for the three-point contest, I kind of felt comfortable out there,” Whalen said. “And then it transferred over into the game. To be honest, I don’t know how I did it ... I’ve never shot that well before.”
The Patriots extended their lead to as many as 19 points midway through the fourth quarter, and they didn’t allow the Bears to come any closer than 14 the entire second half. Moffat’s ability to draw defenders in the lane was another huge key for Stevenson.
“Anytime you can get the ball to people who are shooting well, it usually pays off,” said Moffat, who finished with 16 points and five assists. “Our guards were all drawing a lot of attention when we would drive into the lane, and it allowed us to get a lot of open shots.”
The Patriots also held Lake Zurich to a meager 4-for-17 mark from the field in the first half — a tremendous defensive effort which was almost overshadowed by their quick start on offense.
Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett had nothing but praise for his team (21-10), which drew the No. 5 seed.
“They (Stevenson) did some things differently this time compared to when we beat them the last time we played them,” Bennett said. “They extended their zone out further to about 25-27 feet, and we didn’t do a very good job of handling that, nor did we do a good job of attacking the basket early on.
“But give them a lot of credit, they were on fire shooting the ball to start the game, and their defense didn’t give us a whole lot of open looks.”
Cathryne Spear (12 points, 10 rebounds) notched a double-double in her final high school game to pace the Bears, while Dori Darras added nine points. Another senior, Katherine Anderson, fought back emotion while reflecting on her varsity career.
“You know, it would be one thing if we came out and didn’t give it our best tonight,” Anderson said. “But we did. I’m so proud of all my teammates, because if we had to lose, I’m glad it was to a team like Stevenson who really worked hard and earned it tonight. They deserve it.
“But we have nothing to be ashamed of, because we had a great season and gave it everything we had.”
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