Bison reach semis with win over Panthers

Sophomore Chris Shanahan had eight kills, Chris Falknor added seven kills and Dan Wichmann had 19 assists as Buffalo Grove defeated Glenbard North 25-18, 25-21 Friday in a state tournament quarterfinal at Hoffman Estates.

The Bison (31-5) advance to the semifinals for the third time in four years.

The Panthers, making their first-ever quarterfinal appearance, contributed to their own demise by making 24 unforced errors.

“I thought our experience showed up in Game 2,” Buffalo Grove coach Matt Aiello said. “We didn’t freak out when they went up 11-7. We play with a lot of emotion, but we’ve learned how to control our emotions.”

Glenbard North rallied from a 5-0 deficit to take a 20-15 lead in Game 2 when the Bison went on a 10-1 closing run aided by five Panthers’ errors and a pair of kills by Shanahan.

“I thought when we took the lead in Game 2 that we got into a groove,” Glenbard North coach Dedra DeBenedetti said. “I thought that we were back to playing our game. But then things got quiet and we played a little tight.”

Chris Kosirog led Glenbard North (22-9) with eight kills.