Belvidere’s Maya Smith almost single-handedly willed the ninth-seeded Bucs to an improbable comeback against the seventh-seeded Rochelle Lady Hubs in the IHSA 3A Sycamore Regional Quarterfinals on Monday.
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ROCHELLE — Belvidere’s Maya Smith almost single-handedly willed the ninth-seeded Bucs to an improbable comeback against the seventh-seeded Rochelle Lady Hubs in the IHSA 3A Sycamore Regional Quarterfinals on Monday.
Trailing 45-29 midway through the fourth quarter, Smith sunk multiple deep 3-pointers and used her quick burst to draw fouls and convert at the free-throw line. Her efforts sparked a 17-3 Belvidere run that brought the Bucs within two points of the Lady Hubs with only seconds to play in the game.
But despite the gritty effort from Smith, who finished with a game-high 31 points, Rochelle managed to survive Belvidere and hang on for a 52-48 victory. The Lady Hubs (5-26) clinched a spot in the semifinals, where they’ll see the top-seeded Sycamore Spartans on their home floor Tuesday night at 6 p.m.
“It feels really good,” said junior guard Sofia Lenkaitis, who led Rochelle with 17 points on Monday. “We’re 1-0 right now and we’re starting this tournament with a clean slate. We’re all trying to do our best… Sycamore has a really strong team, but if we can play together and hit our shots, we’ll have a good chance to win.”
Both teams started the quarterfinal contest slowly, with Rochelle inching ahead 8-6 after the first quarter. The Lady Hubs stretched their lead in the second quarter behind four 3-pointers including back-to-back triples from sophomore Josie Lundquist, who finished the game with 12 points. Rochelle made six triples by halftime, with the Lady Hubs leading 25-16.
“We were really there for each other,” Lenkaitis said. “We told each other at the beginning of the game that we had to come out and play with energy.”
With the threat of long-range fire bringing Belvidere defenders up to the 3-point line, Lenkaitis took advantage with several dribble-drives to the basket, scoring eight third-quarter points and fueling the Rochelle offense. Leading 40-28 entering the fourth quarter, the Lady Hubs took their largest lead of the game with a quick 5-1 run that forced a Bucs timeout.
“I had a lot of help from my teammates down low,” Lenkaitis said. “They were moving defenders around and that helped create space for me.”
While Smith’s fourth-quarter outburst and some sloppy turnovers erased most of the Rochelle advantage, the Lady Hubs were able to seal the victory at the free-throw line. Lundquist made four consecutive freebies in the final seconds, keeping Rochelle ahead by two possessions and preventing Belvidere from tying the game or taking the lead.
