Hilltoppers' Defense Strong But York Prevails in Thriller, 48-46

It was a tale of two halves. Glenbard West came out strong on senior day, using a dominating defense to build a 21-12 half-time lead. The Hilltoppers held the Dukes to just four first-half field goals. 

Offensively, the Hilltoppers were in control. When they were not able to get the ball to Cayla Herbst in the post, guards Lauren Davis, Bridget Flanagan and Claire Riley were landing field goals seemingly at will. On the other side of the court, the Hilltoppers' smothering defense held the Dukes to just three points in the second quarter. 

The third quarter started with the Hilltoppers still in control and extending their lead. Riley’s three-pointer and Flanagan’s five points increased the Glenbard West lead, and when Ellen Nighbor hit a field goal from the paint, the Hilltoppers had their largest lead of the game, 31-15.

Momentum shifted at that point as the Dukes began to hit some shots and began to press the Hilltoppers. The Dukes would run off the last eleven points of the quarter to cut that 16-point lead to just five at the start of the fourth quarter. Mary Colon, Meryl Cripe and Anna Bell Lansdowne all hit field goals to close out the quarter.

“They put the pressure on and we lost our composure,” said Glenbard West coach Mike Hofland. “We didn’t get to our spots. We played right into their traps, and that was the game.”

York’s Alex Harrell scored four third-quarter points and was impressive in the York press. 

“Coach wanted us to go to the basket strong, watch the three-point shooters and box out,” said Harrell of her defensive efforts. 

“She did a phenomenal job off the bench,” said York Coach Jason Reinecke about Harrell. “She had the rebounds, she played nice defense and had one tip and a steal in our press, and I thought that was huge.”

The Dukes continued their offensive onslaught in the fourth, and Colon began to take the game over. The Dukes started the fourth quarter on a 12-3 run, getting their first lead of the game at 36-34. West would not back down and fought back to regain the lead at 41-40. Colon came back again, though, hitting a big two-pointer and giving York a lead they would not relinquish.    

With the win on the final day of the regular season, York will be at least tied for the conference championship.

Friday was senior day at Glenbard West, and seniors Bridget Flanagan, Lauren Davis, Cayla Herbst, Shanice Hayes, Sami Keirnan and Becky Kelleher were honored for their efforts for the four years they have played basketball.

With the playoffs starting Monday, will the Hilltoppers be able to rebound? 

“With the girls on our team, we’ll be fine,” said guard Bridget Flanagan.  “It was a tough one tonight, but with the chemistry on the team we’ll be ready to go on Monday for sure.”

Glenbard West hosts regional playoff play Monday, and will play at 8 p.m. at home.

York will travel to Trinity High School Tuesday to play West Chicago at 8 p.m.

Glenbard West  46  York 48

Glenbard West   13   8  10  15

York                       9   3  14  22

Glenbard West:  Flanagan 6 1-2 15, Riley 3 0-0 9, Davis 3 0-0 7, Herbst 4 0-0 9, Hayes 1 0-0 2, Nighbor 2 0-2 4

York: Lansdowne 2 2-4 8, Holmes, Molly 0 1-2 1, Harrell 2 2-2 6, Cripe 2 0-2 4, Brown 2 0-0 5, Albue 1 2-2 4, Colon 5 9-9 20

Three-Point Field Goals: Glenbard West(7) Flanagan(2), Riley(3), Davis, Herbst.  York(4) Lansdowne(2), Brown, Colon