Hersey finishes MSL East play with a healthy victory on Hilmer Night
Nearly a dozen area athletic trainers were on hand at the packed Ken Carter gymnasium on Friday night to show their support for the retiring Hal Hilmer.
Hersey's hall of fame athletic trainer for the past 36 years was honored with a ceremony between the girls and boys basketball games in Arlington Heights.
"He's been a favorite of mine," said Hersey senior center Maggie Berigan (11 points, 7 rebounds) after helping the Huskies girls team to a 58-30 Mid-Suburban East victory over visiting Prospect. "He's so sociable. No matter what the extent of the injury, whether it's a minor scratch or serious, he's there to do whatever is needed to get you back on the floor."
Hersey returned to the floor for the second half enjoying a 27-18 lead.
The Huskies obviously weren't satisfied.
They started the third quarter with a 14-0 run and did not give up a basket until 3:25 of the fourth quarter.
"We tightened things up across the board," said Hersey coach Mary Fendley. "I thought we would put more pressure on them and the kids did a better job of keeping their sights on the ball and with trapping opportunities."
Junior Claire Gritt (game-high 16 points) was locked in on the ball, coming up with 2 steals during the rally.
She converted the second one into a 3-point play that gave the Huskies a 41-18 lead with 3:20 left in the third quarter.
Hersey (22-4, 8-2) outscored Prospect 18-3 in the period.
The Huskies allowed only 3 more free throws (two by Nikki Matters and one by Sara Biesterfeldt) in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter until junior Eileen Donohue scored the Knights' first basket of the half with 3:25 left in the game.
"They are a great defensive team," said Prospect coach Gabrielle Lovin. "They came out with a lot of defensive intensity. When you a make turnovers and can't make shots, that makes it tough.
"After our second quarter (outscored Hersey 11-9), we came out real positive to start the second half. Credit their defense for us not being able to take control of the game."
The Huskies' offense also received 8 points from point guard Kelly Weyhrich and seven from Gina Miklasz, who collected 7 rebounds with 4 assists.
Senior Claire Niemczyk contributed 5 points and Erin McGrath four while Susan Lindstrom and Maesyn Bejamin each came in off the bench and tossed home 3-pointers.
"We had a tough second quarter, offensively and defensively," Fendley added. "But I thought we compensated by coming out with a great third quarter."
Matters finished with 6 points to lead Prospect (8-18, 2-8) while Clare O'Carroll and Margherite Pettenuzzo each chipped in four.
Pettenuzzo sent the Knights into the locker room with confidence by converting a 3-point play with 1.3 seconds left in the half.
But the Huskies' defense halted the momentum in the third quarter.
"We're really excited to get a good win like this," Berigan said. "It gives us momentum for the rest of the season. Even though we didn't win conference (second place behind 10-0 Buffalo Grove), we want to prove ourselves and be a team to watch in the postseason."
All eyes were on Hilmer between games on Friday.
"Hal has been a huge part of our success at Hersey," Fendley said. "He was certainly deserving of this night."