DiOrio's free throws help St. Charles East sink West Aurora
Ashley DiOrio was truly in unfamiliar territory Friday night in St. Charles.
"I have never been in that situation before," DiOrio said.
But the St. Charles East junior guard came through at the most opportune of times for the Saints in their Upstate Eight Conference crossover girls basketball game against West Aurora.
DiOrio sank 3 free throws, including a pair with 20.9 seconds remaining in the game, to give St. Charles East the lead for good, as the Saints had to withstand the Blackhawks' Skylar Doby attempt to send the game into overtime with 1.6 seconds to play.
But Doby had her second free throw fall short, giving the Saints a hard-fought 44-43 win.
DiOrio had given St. Charles East a 44-42 lead on the previous possession when she split a pair at the line.
"It was obviously very nerve-wracking to go up there," said DiOrio, who finished with 10 points. "I was really focused on hitting those shots."
West Aurora (8-3) was in a double-digit deficit when St. Charles East (5-7) scored the first 2 buckets of the fourth quarter to take a 36-26 lead.
But the Blackhawks clawed their way back as Dajour Miles had a pair of runners for scores; Olivia Vanderwoude and reserve Isabelle Lambert added individual field goals for West Aurora.
Miles fouled out with 1:11 to play after scoring the last of her 8 points.
Essence Rayford, though, converted 2 free throws to trump the split trip DiOrio had after Miles' fifth foul.
West Aurora then took its first lead since the end of the first quarter when Kiyanna Rodgers swiped a ball at midcourt and drove for a subsequent lay-in for a 42-41 lead with 39 seconds to play.
"I was just thinking I needed to get a steal," Rodgers said. "The ball was right there."
West Aurora forced a stop, but a critical missed front end of the bonus and resulting loose-ball foul put DiOrio at the line.
The St. Charles East victory was inconceivable without the contributions of Alabama-Birmingham-bound post Sara Rosenfeldt.
The senior single-handedly outscored West Aurora in the first half with 16 of her game-high 20 points.
Rosenfeldt was also instrumental in breaking the Blackhawks' full-court press.
"It was a big part of our practice," Rosenfeldt said of her duties in helping bringing the ball across the timeline. "We definitely played with energy at the beginning of the game. I came out aggressive and ready to play. My free throws (6-for-6) really helped a lot."
"It's a really tough loss, but we learned from (Rosenfeldt)," Rodgers said. "She has really good leadership."
Doby and Rodgers had 11 and 10 points, respectively, to lead West Aurora.