Candace Parker did almost everything for Naperville Central on Tuesday in its 42-40 Class AA sectional semifinal upset of 11th-ranked West Chicago before a crowd of 1,500 at St. Charles East.
When the freshman didn’t come through for the Redhawks, teammates Courtney Peters and Christina Kowalski guided the offense for No. 18 Naperville Central.
Parker scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, Peters scored 10 and Kowalski had two points to account for all of Naperville Central’s scoring. Naperville Central (23-7) advances to Thursday’s sectional final to meet cross-town rival and 20th-ranked Naperville North.
“Unquestionably, Candace was the player of the game–10 times over,” Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said.
Parker had 15 points and 13 rebounds by halftime to help give her team a 23-22 lead.
“I figured if I went to the boards to distract them, it would slow them down with their fast break,” Parker said.
She pulled down 10 offensive rebounds in the game, including a crucial one with 14 seconds left that resulted in a basket. It gave her team a 41-40 advantage, and she added a free throw with 2.9 seconds remaining for the final margin of victory.
In recent weeks, Parker had been watching videotape of her team’s previous game against West Chicago with her father, Larry. West Chicago (27-4), the DuPage Valley champion, won that game by holding Parker to nine points and also beat Central in November.
“My dad pointed out each time I didn’t get an offensive rebound,” she said. “I came out here and said, `We’re not going to lose in the sectional semifinal.'”
West Chicago led just twice in the game. The Wildcats’ first lead came in the third quarter when they went up 28-27 on a basket by Sarah Bass, who scored 15. The lead lasted about 30 seconds before Parker completed a three-point play.
In the fourth quarter, West Chicago took a 40-39 lead with 2:15 left on two free throws by Alissa Mildebrath, who sat out most of the second half in foul trouble. Mildebrath fouled out with 2.9 seconds left, finishing with nine points.
Naperville Central struggled in the closing two minutes, missing five shots before Parker scored the team’s final three points. West Chicago’s Meghan Young missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Parker had some tough moments, especially in the second half. She finished with 13 turnovers and went 6-of-11 from the free-throw line. Her rebounding made up for her mishaps.
“Parker was the difference,” West Chicago coach Kim Wallner said. “It looked like she was on a mission.”
Marlen Garcia.
Mother McAuley 59, Stagg 44: The eighth-ranked Mighty Macs used a 9-0 run in the last 75 seconds of the first half to break a tie and pull away from No. 19 Stagg in the Oak Lawn sectional semifinal.
Mother McAuley (28-3) takes on Fenwick in Thursday’s sectional title game.
Lauren Levine led McAuley with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Katie Boyce chipped in with 12 points including a 35-foot three-pointer to end the first half.
“When we came out in the third quarter, I knew the momentum was on our side,” Boyce said.
Mighty Mac coach Rick Mundo attributed the win to his team’s depth: He played 15 players and 12 of them scored.
Stagg’s Purdue-bound Emily Heikes was held to 12 points while sitting out most of the second quarter saddled with foul trouble. Heather King added 10 points for the Chargers (21-7).
Marian Catholic 55, Rich South 44: Marian Catholic went on an 8-0 run in the second quarter to take a lead that never shrank to less than three points in the upset over the 10th-ranked Stars (24-4) at the Bremen sectional.
The Spartans will take on No. 5 Hillcrest in Thursday’s sectional final.
Melissa Mitidiero scored 18 points and Kandyce Green added 17. Marian (20-7) shot nine-of-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
“People have overlooked us all year,” Marian Catholic coach Shannon Reidy said. “We just have kids who want to win and I guess that makes us the Cinderella this year.”
Loyola-bound Katie Reutter scored 12 points to lead Rich South.
