On March 3, 2012, Vernon Hills faced a Montini team that was looking for its third state title in three years.  Montini came out and lit up the Cougars, taking a commanding 56-38 victory.  Going into Friday’s 3A semifinal game, all the experts were expecting the same result.

But Vernon Hills proved them wrong.  After racking up a sizeable lead and losing it to push the game to overtime, the Cougars found what they were missing a year ago and pulled out a 48-45 victory over the Lady Broncos.

“Vernon Hills had a great gameplan and we struggled,” said Montini coach Jason Nichols.  “We struggled in all phases of the game.”

The Cougars remained in a head-to-head battle with Montini early in the game, but pulled out a 35-24 lead after the third.  As the game progressed, it seemed that Vernon Hills was getting closer and closer to a guaranteed win.

But the Lady Broncos’ Kelly Karlis led the team back and pushed the game to a 40-point tie at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Vernon Hills’ Lauren Webb took control and put up six points.  Karlis continued to try to drive, but couldn’t get anything going offensively.  The result was Vernon Hills outscoring Montini 8-5 in overtime and taking the victory.

“In the end it came down to who finishes, who gets stops, who makes free throws and that’s what we did,” said Vernon Hills guard Sydney Smith.

After losing in the 3A final last year, Vernon Hills was left with the burden of knowing they were one game away from first place.  Tomorrow they will have another chance to get the top spot.

“We got a taste of it last year,” said Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner.  “I knew the girls wanted to get back.”

The Cougars will play against the Notre Dame Raiders Saturday for the 3A title.  Notre Dame dominated Morton in the second semifinal game and remains undefeated for the season.  The Raiders will pose a major threat for Vernon Hills tomorrow.  A full preview of the game should be available Saturday morning.

Photos by Mike Krebs/The Voice