Sports
Extra Points: Minooka Finds Possesions at a Premium Down the Stretch
Indians fail to score despite three cracks at the basket during final minutes in sectional semifinal loss to Moline.
NORMAL–Trailing 40-38, Minooka’s girls basketball team was headed to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game with 2:11 to play in regulation. However, the Indians missed both free throws.
Minooka had two other shots at the basket, but failed to score. The Indians didn’t know it at the time, but they would not see the ball again until there were 36 seconds left in Monday's 42-38 loss to Moline in the Class 4A Normal Sectional.
“Those last couple of minutes, I was thinking we had to get the ball, we had to get a steal, we had to tie the game so we can have a chance at winning the game,” Minooka senior Stephanie Furr said. “We were doing all we could to get the ball and get back on offense.”
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“They said our defense wasn’t similar to the pressure defense they see in their conference, and I think we proved that wrong,” Minooka coach Ray Liberatore said. “We just didn’t get enough quality shots on the offensive end.”
Or possessions, at least in the fourth quarter.
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After Sara Placher’s third three-pointer of the night tied the game at 38-all with 4:17 remaining, Moline played keep away.
After Moline scored, Minooka was fouled heading to the basket. It failed to score on the trip. Moline held the ball for more than two minutes before finally turning it over on a jump ball call with 36 seconds to play.
Both teams traded turnovers, setting up a final possession for the Indians.
Placher’s three-pointer was partially blocked and Moline sank a pair of free throws to end the finest season in Indian lore.
Minooka went a school-record 23-5, finished perfect in the Southwest Prairie Conference and won the school’s first regional title since Jimmy Carter was president.
“This year has been amazing,” Furr said. “We came into this year not knowing how we were going to be or what the outcome was going to be. We turned everybody’s heads and made the best out of this season. Everybody stepped up and it was an amazing season and an amazing thing to be a part of.”
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