Girls Basketball: Royals Repel Foxes at Regionals

The Hot Read: Yorkville was an even match for Rosary. Both teams fought through the first quarter to tie 12-12, but a slew of Fox fouls and missed shots left them trailing 31-22 at the half. With a spectacular third quarter, in which three Foxes connected on three-pointers, Yorkville came back with a 22-15 run. Starting the fourth quarter behind 46-44, the Foxes held the Royals to nine points. A three-point basket by Yorkville’s Jenny Taptich at two minutes put the Foxes in range to win, but the two teams ended up in overtime 55-55. Unable to make a basket, the Foxes lost in the extra period, 64-56.

Patch’s MVP: Yorkville’s Jenny Taptich (15 points, two steals). Taptich’s three-point basket at the end of the fourth quarter gave the Foxes a second chance to win the game. Overall, her three three-point baskets and multiple attempts kept Rosary’s defense occupied.

Key stats: Fouls played a huge part in this game, forcing dozens of turnovers and allowing the Foxes to get back in the game. Overall, the Foxes shot 14 of 25 from the free-throw line while the Royals made slightly fewer with 10 of 23.

Yorkville leaders: Jenny Taptich (15 points, two steals), Alicyn Hester (15 points, two steals, one rebound), Cara Schlichting (eight points, one rebound).

Rosary leaders: Madison Richmond (17 points), Breann Maryanski (14 points), Courtney Bila (nine points).

Quoteable: “It was an outstanding game,” Yorkville coach Luke Engelhardt said. “The girls, they battled the entire game. [We're] one shot away from playing in the region championship.

Team record: Yorkville, 12-13, 2-8 in he Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference East Division.

What’s next: Rosary plays Aurora Central Catholic at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for the regional championship. The loss ended Yorkville’s girls basketball season.