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Kaneland rallies by Burlington Central in overtime

Morgan Weber enjoyed a senior night to remember Saturday at Kaneland's annual Hoops for a Cure Shootout against Burlington Central.

Weber capped her 20-point night with 4 straight free throws in the final 30 seconds of overtime, helping Kaneland complete a comeback from 10 points down late in the third quarter for a 64-60 victory in a game that featured a series of clutch shots from both teams.

"We got picked the 1 seed in our sub-sectional so every team is going to come out and try to beat us," Weber said. "We came out and were ready. Burlington is always tough but it felt really nice beating them on senior night."

The lead changed hands seven times in the final three minutes of regulation. Trailing 47-40, Kaneland scored eight straight, keyed by 3-pointers from Weber and Hannah Armin. The Knights (20-5) took a 48-47 lead when Jamie Martens drove left and was fouled for a 3-point play.

Mackenzie West put the Rockets back up with 2 free throws. Martens again drove for a near identical finish and a 50-49 Kaneland lead only to see West score on a strong post move with 1:17 remaining, giving the Rockets a 51-50 lead.

Jenni Weber drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 53-51 Kaneland; Kathryn Schmidt had the answer for the Rockets with a corner 3-pointer and a 54-53 Rocket lead with 30 seconds to go.

Kaneland regained a 55-54 advantage when Jenni Weber was fouled and made both free throws at :21; the Rockets' Madelynne Drescher split a pair at the line to tie the game with :7.7 remaining. Jenni Weber's 3 at the buzzer rimmed off.

In overtime, after Morgan Weber and Schmidt traded 2 free throws, Jenni Weber again hit a clutch 3, giving Kaneland the lead for good at 60-57 with 1:45 left. Morgan Weber sealed the win with her 4 straight free throws.

"I have a lot of confidence and I know being a leader you have to step up and knock those down," Weber said.

Schmidt led all scorers with 21 points and West added 16 for Burlington Central (12-14),

"She (West) probably had her best game of the year," Burlington Central coach Mark Smith said. "She had a nice night, she's had a few nice nights in a row.

"I just like the way we are playing. In the end they had a senior who made some plays. I'm just so proud of the way we played. We're playing the right way right now. If we make one more play we just beat the No. 1 seed. I'm happy."

So was Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe, whose team won its 20th game for the second straight season. Jenni Weber (12 points), Martens (11) and Armin (11) all reached double figures.

"They (Burlington) came out, they hit shots, tip your hat to them," Colombe said. "Hopefully that is going to help us down the stretch playing close games. We're seeing that consistently that our kids aren't going to give up. They believe in each other. If we keep working we can chip away. It's good to see."

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