Twins Maggie and Allison Mocchi and Ellen Ayoub have been mainstays on the Buffalo Grove varsity for four years. They’ve accomplished a lot, now it has been validated.
The three Bison seniors combined for 39 points in a 50-39 victory over St. Charles North in a Class 4A supersectional Monday night at Elgin Community College.
Buffalo Grove (32-3) is making its ninth state finals appearance and third in a row at Illinois State, where it won a Class AA title in 2000. The Bison face Young in Friday night’s 8:15 semifinal.
"These kids have won 120-some games (121-20) and been downstate twice, but they really don’t have anything to show for it," Bison coach Tom Dineen said.
"Now they get a trophy and it validates what they’ve done."
After St. Charles North (23-6) took a 4-0 lead on two baskets by Anna Conrad, the Bison answered with four points by Maggie Mocchi (14 points, 11 rebounds) and a three-pointer by Ayoub (nine points) that put Buffalo Grove ahead 7-4. It was a lead it never relinquished.
St. Charles North junior Kelsey Smith (15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 6 rebounds), who didn’t scored in the first quarter, had six in the seconds as the Northstars got within 15-13. But the Bison went to the break up 30-21 after a basket by Maggie Mocchi and a three-pointer at the buzzer by Allison (16 points).
"We don’t want to settle this time," Maggie Mocchi said. "Losing is a non-option from here on out. We’ve been in a lot of tough games abnd we know that every team left is good."
"I’m so happy," Allison Mocchi added. "We’re in the Final Four and we’re not through."
It never got closer in the seond half until a three-pointer by Nina Sircher with 2:23 to play that cut it to 53-37. But the Bison closed it out from the free-throw line.
"It’s different this time," Ayoub said. "This time we’re going down and know we get to play on Saturday."
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