Jan. 10--D骮.. vu arrived with a slight twist in Saturday's showdown between New Trier and Hersey.
A year after New Trier defeated Hersey on a last-second 3-pointer by Kathryn Pedi, Hersey junior guard Claire Gritt buried a winning 3 with 3.5 seconds left to propel the No. 9 Huskies to an improbable 48-46 comeback win against the No. 5 Trevians on Saturday at the Chicagoland Invitational Showcase at Fremd.
Gritt finished with a team-high 15 points, and pushed her career total to 1,005 points.
"We all remembered last year's loss, and that motivated us to win this game," Gritt said. "That was a tough loss. We really wanted to get the win."
On the winning play, Hersey junior guard Gina Miklasz drove the baseline but got caught under the basket before whipping a left-handed pass to a wide-open Gritt on the wing.
"It was so much like last year's game, but a different ending," Hersey coach Mary Fendley said.
The Huskies (15-3) trailed by 19 points late in the second quarter after the Trevians (15-4) made six of their first seven 3s. New Trier's hot shooting, combined with its superior size in the post, accounted for the Trevians' lead.
Six-foot-3 senior center Jeannie Boehm, who had 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, and Pedi (12 points) helped stake the Trevians to a 32-13 edge.
But the Trevians' size advantage disappeared in the second half, when Hersey's pressure defense allowed just three points in a 14-possession stretch. The Trevians' had a chance to tie or win the game following Gritt's lone 3, but Hersey junior Kelly Weyhrich stole the inbound pass at midcourt to seal the win. The Trevians turned over the ball 20 times.
A crucial technical foul on New Trier coach Teri Rodgers with just more than four minutes remaining led to a 10-0 run by the Huskies.
"We didn't take care of the ball and played very passive and not to lose," Rodgers said. "You have to give (Hersey) a lot of credit."
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the game: Claire Gritt, Hersey, 15 points, 3 rebounds.
Key performers: Hersey -- Maggie Berigan, 10 points, 5 rebounds; Erin McGrath, 7 points. New Trier -- Jeannie Boehm, 18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks; Kathryn Pedi, 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 3-pointers.
