It’s BG, in 3 OTs
There’s a sign hanging outside of the Buffalo Grove locker room that says “Fight On,” which is the athletic program’s new slogan this year.
“It means to keep fighting and don’t give up,” said BG forward Mary Zawlocki. “Even when it’s tough and you’re tired.”
That phrase was quite appropriate on a night when the Bison tied the game in the final seconds of regulation and the first two overtimes before prevailing in three overtimes to beat visiting Hersey 58-53 in Mid-Suburban East play.
“I kept reminding them after every overtime that all of the hard work was going to pay off,” said BG coach Steve Kolodziej. “Mentally, you could see it out there. You could see that they weren’t going to lose that game.”
Trailing by a point in the third overtime, sophomore Julie Jambrone’s steal and layup gave BG (7-13, 2-4) a 54-53 lead with 1:18 remaining.
After a Hersey miss, Jambrone spun for a layup and a 3-point lead with 26 seconds left.
Zawlocki (13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks) then iced the game with a pair of three throws.
“We all decided to come together,” Jambrone said after scoring a game-high 19 points. “When we come together as a team, it just really works.”
Hersey’s Casey Weyhrich, who directed Hersey’s offense with 8 assists before fouling out in the first overtime, knocked down 2 free throws with 27 seconds left in regulation for a 39-36 lead.
The Huskies (11-8, 3-3) appeared in command with the ball and the lead, but Bailey North got a steal with 14 seconds left, passed to Amanda Salzman, who found Zawlocki for a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left that started the overtime madness.
“My feet weren’t that set,” Zawlocki said of the shot. “I just went for it, it went in and I couldn’t believe it.”
The Bison trailed by 3 points in the first overtime when North (10 points, 8 rebounds) put back her own miss with 13 seconds left. On Hersey’s inbounds play, she was fouled to put her back at the line, where she made 1 of 2 to force a second overtime.
In that second overtime, BG trailed 49-47 but Salzman calmly converted 2 free throws with 13 seconds left.
Renee Poulos scored 8 of her 10 points in the extra sessions and handled the ball with Weyhrich fouled out and Morgan Harris (10 points, 4 assists) hurt.
“She was a kid that wanted the ball in her hands,” said Hersey coach Mary Fendley. “And I’m glad she did. She made things happen for us.”
The late game heroics was a perfect way to honor Alyssa Mills, North, Salzman and Zawlocki on Senior Night.
“I told them that it’s a game that no one in this room will ever forget,” Kolodziej said. “And the seniors deserve it. They deserve a game like this because they put in the time and have been great leaders this year.”