For retiring Metamora girls basketball coach Kathy Wainman, she survives to coach another day.
Her Redbirds shut out Dunlap in the first quarter, but were forced to score five of the game’s final seven points to defeat the Eagles, 39-36, to claim the Class 3A Metamora Regional title.
“Started great. Shut them out in the first quarter. Thought we had a nice little lead, but it wasn’t good enough,” Wainman said. “Lot of credit to Dunlap. Some of them were hanging their heads and (Dunlap coach Patrick Garst) got them going.
“They came back and created enough pressure to take us out of what we wanted to do … thank goodness we had a couple of key (baskets) late, couple of big rebounds — finally some big rebounds — and a good team effort on our part not to relinquish the lead.”
Metamora (18-11) moves on to the LaSalle-Peru Sectional where it will meet New Lennox Lincoln-Way West on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Lincoln-Way West defeated Joliet Catholic, 46-33, to win the Ottawa Regional.
The Redbirds led 8-0 after a quarter. Dunlap (9-18) committed nine first-quarter turnovers, missed two free throws and its four field-goal attempts.
“Just to be in the game at the end says a lot about this team,” Garst said. “Metamora could have blown us away in the first quarter.”
Metamora led 11-4 and 17-5 in the second quarter before Dunlap, which lost twice by double-digits to the Redbirds in the regular season, started to chip away at the lead.
A rebound basket by Brooke Anderson an instant before the halftime buzzer cut the leadto 17-11.
Metamora upped its lead to 10 early in the third only to lead 26-21 at the end of three. Dunlap finally tied the game at 29, 32 and for the last time at 34 on a rebound basket by Allyson Kemmann with 2:02 left to play.
Dunlap called timeout after the game-tying basket at 34.
Metamora, however, was the one the to take advantage.
Wainman ran Justine Phillips off a pair of screens to open her up on the wing where she drained a Dunlap-deflating 3-pointer for a 37-34 Metamora lead at 1:31.
“We knew they were going to run something to set up that wing play and we talked about that during the timeout,” Garst said. “We knew what was coming, we just didn’t get through the picks.”
Said Wainman, “That is one of our set plays and it looked like it wasn’t going to happen. I was actually calling it off, and my little guard (Ali Helton) went with it anyway and J was right there. Sometimes the players know better.”
The game wasn’t over yet.
Dunlap’s Lexi Hobbs had a ball go halfway down before popping out with 1:15 left. A Metamora turnover at :49.8 gave the ball back to Dunlap only to see Hobbs called for a charge at :40.9.
“Whitney Rohrbach took over the defensive job on Hobbs in the fourth quarter,” Wainman said. “She has a little more height and that seemed to make a difference.
“Didn’t plan on that. Didn’t practice that. But these girls are the type that will do things we don’t even practice.”
Phillips made two free throws at :34.7 for a 39-34 Metamora lead. Danielle Langan put back her own rebound to pull Dunlap to within 39-36 at :15.4.
Rhorbach had a one-and-one with 12 seconds left and missed. She grabbed her own rebound, looked to be fouled, but after a discussion between the three officials was called for a travel before the foul with :09.6 left.
Dunlap’s season finally came to an end on an over-and-back violation with :02.1 showing.
“This game was lost in the first quarter. It was,” Garst said. “You can prepare young kids for this type of intensity but when I don’t have anyone who played in a regional game last year, you can tell them what it’s like. But they really don’t know until they get out there.”
Phillips led Metamora with 16 points. Langan and Bri Flinn each scored nine for Dunlap.
Bo Ryan can be reached at 686-3214 or [email protected].
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