River Forest holds off Lake Station

Updated: March 23, 2011 9:28AM

HAMMOND - River Forest coach Courtney Craig will be the first to tell you that she is fortunate to coach a team filled with smart players.

But during Tuesday night's Bishop Noll Sectional contest against Lake Station, the Ingots didn't quite live up to that reputation.

While they did defeat the Eagles 48-38, advancing to Friday's semifinal against Wheeler, Lake Station played with an aggressive energy throughout the game and was within seven points several times in the fourth quarter. But River Forest matched its opponent from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

Katelynn Buehler led the Ingots (14-6) with a game-high 21 points, Mary Salinas added 12 points on four 3-point baskets and Jessica Perez added 11 points. The Eagles (6-11) were led by freshman Joanna Dwyer's 19 points.

"I wasn't pleased with our decision making out there tonight," Craig said. "Lake Station picked up the press against us and really hustled. We weren't smart with the ball, we took too many bad shots and had too many unforced turnovers.

"And we have to be ready for Wheeler because they have incredible players and are well coached. We might have beat them earlier in the year, but it's not going to be an easy game. They're going to ready to play the way Lake Station was tonight, but I do believe my girls will rise to the challenge."

With a 9-6 lead in the first quarter, River Forest grabbed a 22-13 halftime lead as Buehler scored eight points in the second quarter. She scored four points in a 6-0 third-quarter run that extended the lead to 35-18 with 1:31 left in the period. When the Eagles opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to seven, Buehler responded with a three-point play to extend the lead back to 38-28 with 5:07 left in the game.

"We didn't play our best game tonight," Buehler said. "We have to be more consistent on both sides of the ball, and we have to do a much better job rebounding the ball. At times we were out of control tonight, and we had to calm down and not let the game get away from us.

Buehler admits to putting pressure on herself, but she said it's good pressure that motivates her teammates.

"I try to keep everyone motivated," Buehler said. "When we play Wheeler we know that they're our rival, so that should be an extra incentive to be pumped up."

Lake Station, which played River Forest close earlier in the season, pulled within seven points three times in the final period and actually outscored the winners 16-13 in the final eight minutes. Both teams converted eight free throws in the fourth.

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