Girls Basketball: Zion-Benton’s big run blows by Stevenson

Updated: February 20, 2012 9:01PM

Octavia Crump was content to take a backseat to her teammates when they went on a 22-0 run over a 4:45 span of the first half Monday in a Class 4A sectional semifinal against Stevenson in Palatine.

But when her team needed her in the second half, particularly after Stevenson cut a 15-point lead to three points with 1:47 remaining, Crump put he team on her more-than-capable shoulders.

Crump scored 20 points, including 12 in the second half and three free throws in the final 49 seconds, and added 13 rebounds and four assists as No. 8-seed Zion-Benton (21-8) continued its impressive postseason run with a 53-46 victory over Stevesnon.

The Zee-Bees trailed 8-2 with 2:41 remaining in the first quarter when a three-pointer by Samantha Rodriguez kickstarted their lengthy run.

“In the first half, I kind of let everybody else score,” said Crump, who was coming off a 26-point effort in the regional final. “I just tried to rebound and help any way I could. Our fullcourt pressure, the pressure we put on the ballhander, causing turnovers and getting steals and everything, that’s what got us going.

“In the second half, the game just came to me and I started driving to the basket,” she added.

Stevenson (23-8) trailed 44-29 with 6:20 remaining in the game, but some careless ballhandling by the Zee-Bees and three-pointers by Olivia Whalen and Katharine Batman got the Patriots within 47-44. But Rodriguez answered with a driving basket, and Crump closed it out at the free-throw line.

“We didn’t have an answer for them inside the paint,” Stevenson coach Tom Dineen said. “To start with, we uncharacteristically had a couple of turnovers they capitalized on, and secondly, we didn’t shoot well. Thirdly, we didn’t defend very well inside the paint. It didn’t get any better as the game went on.

“We started to hit some shots and turned it over less in the second half, but they were much more aggressive than we were,” he added. “We watched the be aggressive to the basket Friday against Fremd and vowed that we weren’t going to let that happen. Obviously, we didn’t do a good job of that.

“Tonight was a disappointing end to a very good season,” Dineen said. “We’re a better team than what we showed this evening.”

Batman was the only player in double figures for Stevenson with 16 points. Alexandra Elzinga had eight and Whalen and Katherine Moffat each had six. Rodriguez poured in 18 points for Zion-Benton, which lost to Stevenson in the teams’ two previous meetings.

“The third time’s a charm,” Crump said. “It shows a lot of improvement. Last year’s team lost to Libertyville three times and beat them when it counted. It’s the motivation and drive of being in regionals and sectionals and playing with a purpose.”

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