Bartlett knocks off WW South; Montini up next
Bartlett's Shelley Lyjak picked an opportune time to turn in one of her best offensive performances of the season.
The 5-foot-6 senior guard scored 14 of her team-high 16 points - 1 off her previous season high - in the second half during the Hawks' 38-32 Class 4A girls basketball regional championship victory over Wheaton Warrenville South (18-10) Friday night in Bartlett.
"I knew I had to step up," said Lyjak, who went on a personal 7-0 run in the first 4 minutes of the third quarter, enabling the fourth-seeded Hawks to snap a 17-17 halftime deadlock on the way to their 13th straight triumph.
Bartlett (22-7) will play top-seeded Montini at 6 p.m. Monday in the semifinals of the Schaumburg sectional.
Lyjak began the second half with a driving layup and added a pair of free throws before connecting on a 3-pointer from the corner to extend the Hawks' lead to 24-17.
Her second 3-pointer of the contest gave the Hawks their largest lead of the night at 29-21 with 5:26 remaining.
"Early in the year, she was very hesitant to shoot," said Bartlett first-year head coach Dave Mello. "Then we had a three-point shooting drill (at practice) and she blew everybody out of the water. I told her, 'you've got to shoot.' She can shoot - there's no doubt about it.
"No disrespect to anybody on Wheaton Warrenville South but there's very few girls who can guard her man to man especially when it's spread out because she's so fast."
Led by 6-1 senior center Kelly Harris' 5 blocked shots, the Hawks' defense held the fifth-seeded Tigers scoreless for the first 5-plus minutes of the third quarter.
"We locked them down in the third quarter," said Mello.
"What we've done all year is we've relied on the defense," he added. "Defense wins championships and this was a championship."
Kaitlin Brohan added 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals for Bartlett.
"In all honesty, to me this is their real Senior Night," said Mello, whose starting lineup includes 4 seniors. "This is our last home game. This is a great way to send them out."
The Tigers, who at one point had 3 freshmen on the floor in crunchtime, were led by sophomore forward Jayla Johnson's 20 points and 10 rebounds.
"When you go from shooting 50 percent two nights ago to shooting 30 percent, it's going to be tough," said Tigers coach Rob Kroehnke. "We had a shot - that's all you can ask for.
"They're a very experienced team. That does come into play in the postseason."