H-F Lady Vikings Basketball Headed to State After Thrilling OT Win

The Homewood-Flossmoor Lady Vikings basketball team refused to give up Monday in a Class 4A Mother McAuley Supersectional against Trinity.

Trinity came into the game at the top of theirs, having just snapped Whitney Young’s 124-game home win streak in the sectional.

But the Vikings had something of their own to prove and battled it out to a thrilling 72-68 win, earning the team a spot in the Class 4A semifinal against Benet Academy on Friday at 6:30 p.m., at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena.

H-F’s Bria Stallworth and Tylah Lampley kept their cool in a game that saw several surges and ties beginning in the second quarter. H-F had just taken a 12-11 lead, when Trinity went on a run. Trinity’s Kristin Aylworth sunk a three that sent them on an 11-point run, leaving the Vikings flustered and putting the score at 22-12.

The Vikings came back to within five, at 25-20 at the end of the half. The third quarter saw them trail by as many as 12, with Ariana Dampier capping it with a three-pointer.

The Vikings found another gear in the fourth.

Down 41-33, the Vikings caught a break when a technical foul was called on Trinity’s Patricia Stritzel. They surged forward, to tie the game at 41.

With just 10 seconds left, H-F inbounded the ball, Stallworth heaved one up and missed it. Lampley snagged the rebound and put it in, to tie the game up with just two seconds left.

Overtime saw Trinity lead twice, but commanding performances from H-F’s Stallworth, Lampley and Faith Suggs sealed their bid to state.

It was a sweet finish for the Vikings, who hadn’t advanced as far in the tournament since 1997. Stallworth put up 23 points, with Dampier adding 14 points and Ashley Johnson 13.

“I didn’t ever want to give up on my team,” Stallworth told the Daily Southtown. “Our team fought back hard and I’m so proud of them. It means so much to make it to state. Nobody thought we could do it.”

The team was also plagued by scandal last season, when the IHSA bounced them from the tournament amidst recruiting questions.

Game ickets ($10) will be on sale starting Tuesday at noon through 10 a.m. Thursday, March 5, in the Campus Store. Student fan buses will be offered Friday and Saturday for $15 or $25 for both days (this includes your game ticket!). Sign-up for buses ends 10 a.m. Thursday.

Check out the highlights in the video below.