When the shot by Galesburg’s Sarah Larson dropped in at the final horn, Loyola Academy girls basketball coach Tanya Johnson had but one reaction: “Oh, my God, it’s over.”
It’s over for her team, which won Class AA state titles in 1997 and 1998. It’s over for 6-foot-2-inch Olga Gvozdenovic, who has played so brilliantly at Redbird Arena but managed only a foul-plagued 10 points Friday evening.
And it’s over for Laura Sobieszczyk, whose three-point shooting and six steals kept the Ramblers in this Class AA quarterfinal until the final 10th of a second.
But it’s just a start for Galesburg, in search of its first state title after its 56-54 victory before a delirious, screaming group of fans who were in ecstacy after Larson’s shot dropped through with no time left on the clock.
The victory sends the Silver Streaks (32-1) into Saturday’s 12:45 p.m. matchup against Lincoln, a 48-42 winner over Lyons Township.
Gvozdenovic’s two pressure free throws had tied the game at 54-54 with 1 minute 16 seconds left. Galesburg decided to hold for one shot. Coach Evan Massey got one he probably didn’t want. With less than 5 seconds left, Megan Pacheco wound up with a wild shot that bounced to the left of the basket. A scramble for the ball ensued, and Larson got hold of it.
“The game isn’t over until the horn blows,” Larson said. “I never heard the horn, so I saw a loose ball and picked it up.”
With Gvozdenovic standing in her way, Larson put up an awkward shot that bounced off the back iron and dropped in, sending her teammates and coaches into a wild celebration on the court and Loyola into stunned shock.
Larson, a 5-11 senior, wound up with 25 points and five rebounds. It was the kind of performance usually reserved for the Duke-bound Gvozdenovic, who hadn’t scored fewer than 21 points in six previous games at Redbird Arena.
“It’s very satisfying to see how well Sarah Larson did tonight. But it doesn’t appear that many college coaches do,” Massey said, questioning the thoughts of recruiters.
Loyola appeared to be in its typical state-finals mode in the first half–especially Sobieszczyk. The 5-9 DePaul-bound senior hit all four of her three-point attempts en route to 14 points and a 34-24 halftime lead. It could’ve been worse for the Silver Streaks, but Jaque Howard hit a three-pointer in the last second to give Galesburg fans some hope.
When Gvozdenovic picked up her third foul barely a minute into the second half, it gave them more hope. She went to the bench, and Loyola’s lead was trimmed to 42-36 going into the fourth quarter.
“My pain right now isn’t in the loss,” Johnson said, “it’s knowing that this is it for those seniors. It’s emotional for me to say goodbye to kids I love and care about.”
