Girls Basketball: Waubonsie Valley holds off Lyons in Wheaton North semis

Updated: December 28, 2011 11:57PM

Becky Williford made just enough free throws in the final seconds to propel No. 7 Waubonsie Valley to a semifinal victory Wednesday at Wheaton North’s Neibch Holiday Classic.

The top-seeded Warriors advanced to the final at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against No. 20 Glenbrook South, but it wasn’t easy. Even Waubonsie coach Kim Connell was concerned after host Wheaton North pushed the Warriors Tuesday night in the quarterfinals.

But Waubonsie rallied from a 10-point deficit and even trailed by one point late in the fourth quarter to beat fourth-seeded Lyons 47-43.

“We didn’t deserve to win tonight,” Connell said. “Lyons deserved to win. We did what we needed to do. Part of the problem in the game was that we did not take Lyons Township seriously.”

Lyons (9-3) had its six-game win streak snapped and will face unseeded West Aurora (6-7) in the third-place game at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Senior guard Colleen Connors scored a game-high 15 points for Lyons. She gave Lyons a 43-42 lead with 1:17 to go in the game on a baseline layup, but Lyons could not score again. Becky Williford made 3-of-6 free throws in the final 26.4 seconds and Gratia Brooks made a rebound off one of Williford’s missed foul shots to keep the possession for the Warriors (11-1).

“We had a lack of execution on plays,” Lyons coach Katie Meyers said. “When we execute on this team, we have an advantage scoring. We lost second chances and we were not in a rebounding position.”

Waubonsie will make its third appearance in the Wheaton North final in the last four years, but has not won since Hersey owned a stranglehold on the championship in previous years. The Warriors lost last year’s final to the Huskies, but second-seeded GBS will make its first final appearance since winning the 2003 title.

Brooks and Tami Morice led Waubonsie with 12 points each and Willford had 11. Morice scored her points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range, but made only one basket in the second half.

Lyons lost for the first time since a 54-47 defeat to Proviso West Nov 29. Lyons had a chance to tie the game with 9.8 seconds remaining, but after a timeout, Ashanti Davis was called for traveling with 8.4 seconds to go as she got into position for a three-point attempt. The Warriors kept their 46-43 lead.

Sophomore Kayla Morrissey scored all eight of her points in the second half. Her two baskets to begin the third quarter gave Lyons a 28-20 lead and Connors’ layup pushed the lead to 10 points. The Warriors went 10:34 without a field goal and gave up 16 consecutive points and an 18-3 run over the second and third quarters.

Waubonsie completed its comeback when Williford’s 18-foot baseline jumper gave the Warriors a 37-36 lead with 6:26 left in the fourth quarter. The Warriors scored the first seven points in the final quarter.

“This game we could of won, but we didn’t,” Meyers said. “I’m proud of the girls, the way they put up [with Waubonsie].”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.