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Girls Basketball: Hirsch heave bounces away to seal Vikings loss
| Rob Dicker~Sun-Times Media
Updated: December 22, 2011 11:02PM
That half-court shot that Niles North guard Alissa Hirsh took had a decent chance to win the game.
But when it bounced away there were two teams celebrating at the Blue Devil Classic in Gurnee. First it was the Grayslake Central Rams, who held on to topple Niles North 34-32. And this win also gave the home team Blue Devils of Warren a tourney title.
All-tournament selections Skyler Jessop (15 points) and Claire Brennan (8 points) led the Grayslake offense. But some of the credit went to Central sophomore center Morgan Dahlstrom. It was her key rebound after a missed free throw that secured the win.
“I thought she could have been all-tournament, too,” said Central coach Steve Ikenn. “For a sophomore she had some huge rebounds and played great defense.”
Where that defense mattered the most was on Niles North’s stellar center Mariyah Henley (17 points, 11 rebounds). She scored in every quarter for the Vikings (8-8). Her two free throws knotted this game at 27-27 with two minutes to play.
“Grayslake has a good team,” said Niles North coach Dan Paxson. “Our strength is getting to the basket. We settled for too many jump shots.”
Niles North had it’s biggest lead at 9-5 following a Henley layup. On a Jessop three-pointer, the Rams (12-3) opened a 23-17 lead late in the third quarter.
Jessop’s biggest play of the game came with 90 seconds to go. The senior nailed a three-pointer to give her team a 30-27 cushion. That lead extended to five points on two Brennan free throws. But at the one-minute mark, North’s Angela Jones landed a three-pointer to cut the Central lead to 32-30. Hirsh (6 points) drove to the hoop with six seconds to play for the game’s final tally.
Both Hirsh and Henley were chosen for the all-tournament team.
Central lost to Warren Wednesday and that’s the reason why the Blue Devils won the tourney. Both teams finished at 4-1.
“We played five games and had finals,” Ikenn said. “We didn’t want to end with a two-game losing streak. We have a lot of pride but we are not cocky.”
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