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Fred's Blog

Anything can happen

Posted by: Fred Kroner

Friday, February 20, 2009 12:42 AM

There's a saying in sports that you can throw records, rankings and previous results out the window when postseason tournaments commence.

It's a cliche, but it's true.

Unity's Rockets demonstrated on Thursday what's possible by a confident team of athletic believers when they put their minds -- as well as their hearts and their energy -- to it.

The Rockets stunned the state's top-ranked Class 2A team, Bloomington Central Catholic 40-38 in the sectional championship game at St. Thomas More High School. BCC entered the game with a 29-0 record that included a December win over Unity 70-49.

Quite a turnabout.

Here are a few reasons:

--I've never agreed with coaches who said a regular-season loss is a bad thing. Those setbacks first of all eliminate pressure from a team and second of all show the highly touted team they can indeed be beaten. It often gets the team to refocus and rededicate itself, which lends to more success in the long run.

--There's a lot to be said for what a collection of players with athletic ability -- who work hard -- can accomplish. Last fall, many of these current Unity High School basketball players were on the volleyball team which placed second at state.

They set a goal then to return to the same facility, Illinois State University's Redbird Arena, for the basketball finals.

Unity is now one victory away from making that quest a reality.

--To post a huge win, such as the Rockets did over the Saints, requires players who can perform under pressure and ones who don't let mistakes distress them. Sophomore Lauren Grubb scored 19 of Unity's 40 points in the two-point decision over BCC.

More importantly, her and her teammates kept their composure in the face of 30 turnovers, a staggering total, but a manageable one when the opposing school doesn't convert them into easy scores.

Coach Kelli Gallick credited her team with hustling back and defending after the turnovers, forcing BCC to set up an offense instead of sprinting in for layups.

--Teams that perform at a high level need an emotional leader, someone who shows the way by diving on the floor, taking charges and keeping everybody's spirits up. In this category, Unity's Ana Deters has few peers.

She is a difference-maker whether she is scoring 26 points, like she did in the regional opener, or four points, like she did in the sectional championship game. It's impossible to understate her value to the team.

There you have it, several of the reasons why what many consider a major upset can occur in a sectional title game.

Unity will play Olney East Richland at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in a Class 2A super-sectional at Decatur's Millikin University.

On another front, how about the job Shiloh's Raiders did in avenging their lone loss -- to the same team on the same court -- in rallying to defeat Tuscola 41-32 in a Class 1A sectional title game?

Shiloh (32-1) never led until the 4:07 mark of the third quarter when Taylor Hawkins nailed a 12-foot shot to lift the Raiders into a 25-24 lead.

It wasn't until the 4:52 mark of the fourth period that Shiloh took the lead for good, 33-32, on a three-point play by senior Erin Downey. Her points started an 11-0 run by the Raiders, who held Tuscola scoreless during the game's last 5:35.

Shiloh was prepared for the raucous crowd which practically filled Tuscola's gym. They've been practicing with music blaring over the sound system at school to simulate how loud the gymnasium would be.

Coach Dave Tingley said, "you can't simulate it exactly," but he discovered another benefit.

"I think the music got them pumped up," he said. "It was music they like and they were playing harder in practice."

Shiloh put in 10 of 15 fourth-quarter free throws to claim a school-record for wins in a season. The previous mark of 31 was established in 1990.

The Shiloh defense should get credit for its performance as well. Tuscola scored five first-quarter baskets in the regional finals, but managed just six more field goals during the final 24 minutes.

Lauren Bogle was a defensive catalyst, helping hold Tuscola scoring leader Molly Romine in check (six points) while scoring a game-high 13 points herself.

The triumph sends Shiloh into the super-sectional as one of the eight surviving teams in Class 1A. The Raiders were ranked sixth in the final regular-season state poll.

Shiloh will play Ridgeview at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in a super-sectional at Champaign's Parkland College.