HH_121516

38 | December 15, 2016 | The Homer Horizon SPORTS
homerhorizon.com
Porters continue hot start with overtime win
Senior Destiny Davis
comes up clutch, as
Lockport extends
win streak at home
Randy Whalen
Freelance Reporter
“Learning how to win.”
That is what the Lockport
Township girls basketball
team has done this season.
It showed against Thornton
Dec. 6, as the Porters captured
their sixth straight win,
rallying in a 55-53 overtime
thriller during a SouthWest
Suburban Conference crossover
as part of a girls/boys
throwback doubleheader at
Lockport’s Central Campus.
Destiny Davis led Lockport
with 13 points, including
some key baskets down the
stretch. The Wildcats (4-4)
were paced by an incredible
effort from senior forward
Mya Robinson, who poured
in 38 points, including 26 in
the second half. But it was
not enough, as the Porters’
balanced effort of six players
with six or more points
proved to win out in the end.
“This team is learning
how to win, how to finish
games,” Lockport coach Dan
Kelly said. “Last season, we
learned how to compete. This
season, we’re learning how
to win. It was a total team effort.
The girls on the bench
picked us up, both in their
energy and coming off bench
and contributing in the game.
“We’re a deep team and
had a lot of girls show that.
We don’t have just one player,
we have a lot of players,
and we were able to find the
right combo to close it out.”
That depth showed down
the stretch against Thornton.
The Porters trailed 43-36 after
Robinson made a layup
with 6:07 to play in regulation.
But an old-fashioned
3-point play by sophomore
guard Payton Grcevic (6
points) started a 9-0 run.
Davis had five points in the
spurt, including a free throw
to cap it off and give Lockport
a 45-43 lead with 3:12
to play.
“We didn’t let the pressure
bother us,” Davis said. “[After
Thornton took the sevenpoint
lead], we just had to
take a minute to gather ourselves.
The team helps each
other, we just all pick each
other up.”
A pair of free throws by
Robinson tied the game at
the 2:27 mark, but just 12
seconds later, junior guard
Megan James (6 points, 6 rebounds)
scored on a layup to
give the Porters the lead. But
once again, it was Robinson
hitting a pair of free throws
with 52.9 seconds left to tie
it at 47-47.
The Porters, who survived
nine fourth quarter turnovers
and 29 in the game, made one
with 44 seconds to play. But
they got the ball back and
held for the last shot. Senior
forward Laurel Kucharski (8
rebounds) missed a jumper as
it rolled off the rim with three
seconds to play in regulation,
and the game went to overtime.
Lockport, however, never
trailed in the extra period.
Layups by Davis and senior
center Kaleigh Schmutzler
— off a nice feed from
Kucharski with just over a
minute into the extra session
— made the score 51-47.
Robinson converted a pair of
layups in a 13-second span to
tie the game.
Grcevic, who along with
James and Schmutzler (8
points) came off the bench to
give big minutes, converted
two free throws with 2:24 left
in OT for a 53-51 lead. Robinson,
who scored the Wild-
Please see PORTERS, 36
Laurel Kucharski drives the ball Dec. 6 during Lockport’s overtime victory over Thornton at Lockport’s Central Campus.
Photos by Mark Korosa/22nd Century Media
Megan James goes up for a layup during the game.