Holding a decisive edge in speed and height were certainly welcome for No. 3 Marshall in its Class 3A Concordia Supersectional matchup with No. 19 Antioch on Monday night in River Forest.
But when assessing what ultimately made the difference in the unbeaten Commandos' 55-48 triumph, senior forward Tekia Mack cited a third factor.
"It was all about effort," Mack said. "These have been four long, hard years of working. We had a few lapses on both ends but we pulled through together."
The team effort clinched Marshall's first trip downstate since 2011.The Commandos are two wins away from their ninth state championship under legendary coach Dorothy Gaters. They will play Rochester in a 3A semifinal at 12:45 p.m. Friday at Redbird Arena in Normal in their 26th state appearance.
Mack was front and center on several Marshall runs. She scored nine of her 17 points in the third quarter when Marshall (32-0) outscored the Sequoits 22-14, and she was on the floor down the stretch despite being called for her fourth foul with 7 minutes left to play.
The decisive flurry was the Commandos' 8-0 burst to close the game after Taylor Feltner's 3-pointer momentarily put Antioch ahead 48-47 with 2:35 left.
The shot brought the Sequoits (30-4) all the way back from a 42-33 deficit late in the third quarter. Arkiarra Clark's layup with 2 minutes left put Marshall ahead for good, and Mack's 3-point play off a steal stretched the lead to 52-48.
No. 1 Montini girls edge No. 2 Homewood-Flossmoor in 2OT to secure state berth Bob NarangKaylee Bambule escaped her usual habitat at the most unexpected time.
The Montini senior is known as a 3-point shooter, and putting the ball on the floor — especially against a team as athletic as Homewood-Flossmoor — is not her game.
Bambule's driving basket at the end of regulation sent the hotly...
Kaylee Bambule escaped her usual habitat at the most unexpected time.
The Montini senior is known as a 3-point shooter, and putting the ball on the floor — especially against a team as athletic as Homewood-Flossmoor — is not her game.
Bambule's driving basket at the end of regulation sent the hotly...
(Bob Narang)Antioch, which led 23-22 at halftime, got put on its heels after Marshall's 11-3 run opened the second half. The Sequoits trailed by at least five for the next quarter-plus before mounting one final push.
"We didn't play flawlessly and we shouldn't have let them run on us so much," Antioch senior guard Ashley Reiser said. "But we put our hearts out there on the line and I couldn't be prouder of how we competed."
Player of the game: Tekia Mack, Marshall, 17 points, 7 rebounds.
Key performers: Marshall — Arkiarra Clark, 17 points, 5 3-pointers. Antioch — Ashley Reiser, 17 points, 4 3-pointers; Erika Gallimore, 12 points.
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