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Waubonsie Valley falls in final seconds

Grace Setter and her Waubonsie Valley teammates looked like neither a sub-. 500 team nor a No. 12 seed in a Class 4A girls basketball regional final Thursday night in Plainfield.

But the Warriors were looking for a second straight upset against fourth-seeded Joliet Central one night after ending the 20-win season of No. 5 West Aurora. The Warriors lost 51-50 at Plainfield North.

In a frenzied final 38 seconds of play, the Warriors looked to reverse the 1-point Steelmen advantage. Setter, a 6-foot-1 junior post, received a perfect entry pass in the paint. Setter turned, took one dribble and fired a short shot.

The ball hit the backboard and then the front of the rim. But it tantalizingly fell off the mark.

The clock expired in the ensuing scramble, enabling Joliet Central to capture its first regional championship in 25 years.

The Steelmen (23-6) advanced to the Plainfield North sectional semifinals next week at the same site in the process.

With the gut-wrenching loss the Warriors had their season come to a close at 14-16.

"I should have taken another dribble," said Setter, who was brilliant the entire game for Waubonsie Valley with team highs of 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. "I was nervous. The clock was about to run out."

Time and time again, Jalysa Stokes stymied the Warriors. The southpaw sophomore guard not only scored a game-high 23 points, her 12-foot bank shot with 38 seconds remaining proved to be the final points of the game.

"(Stokes) really took it to us," Setter said. "I give her all the accolades."

"It was all for the team," Stokes added. "I saw what I had to do and had to take (the game-winning shot)."

The Warriors' Lauren McKnight had given Waubonsie Valley a 50-49 lead with 67 seconds remaining by converting a three-point play off her own miss.

"It didn't look like it was going to go in," McKnight said of her initial shot. "I thought, 'I might as well get the rebound.' I had to get that and-one."

The Steelmen scored on their opening three possessions of the second half to build a 30-25 halftime lead into a double-digit bulge.

But the never-quit Warriors ended the third quarter on a 17-5 burst to lead 42-41 heading into the final quarter.

Setter had blocked shots and recoveries on consecutive Joliet Central drives to trigger the run.

"My height advantage helped me," Setter said. "The main focus with us is defense. We know it will lead to offense."

Mykah Berkompas' two 3-pointers were instrumental in the Warriors' run.

Ahniya Melton hit the front end of the bonus to give Waubonsie Valley another deadlock at 47-47 with 1:50 to play.

A'llasha Alexander challenged Setter with a driving score for Joliet Central to set up the McKnight three-point play.

McKnight and Melton finished with 11 and 9 points, respectively, for the Warriors.

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