Waging war with a high-seeded school entails an uphill battle – and with uphill battles, it’s all or nothing. This was the case as 12-seeded Lane (8-17, 3-5 Red-North/West Conference) looked to upset the 5-seeded York Community High School Dukes (17-12, 8-4 West Suburban Silver Conference) on Feb. 15, heading into Tuesday night’s IHSA regional semifinal matchup with no room for second chances.

“We knew for us to play in this game, we had to give York less opportunities to score,” said Lane’s Head Coach Megan Molloy postgame. 

The Dukes brought a strong scoring game onto their home court, led by junior co-captain Mariann Blass, who boasted a game-high 29 points. Blass and a tough defense from York proved to be a persistent challenge for Lane. Although Lane fought hard, York pulled away, winning 58-30.

“Going into a game where you’re a 12 seed and the other team is a [five] seed, the other team is ready to walk all over you and not give you a look,” Molloy said. 

Although York took command of the first half, Lane’s persistence remained evident in the early stretches of the first quarter. Junior co-captain Lizzie Baldridge got the ball rolling for York in the first quarter, scoring a layup, but Lane’s Marissa Ulie answered back with a three, inciting cheers from the bench. As York stretched their lead with a three from Blass and a two from sophomore co-captain Stella Kohl, Lane tried to stay on their tail.

“We [had] to continue to push and work possession by possession,” said Lane’s guard Kayla Jones postgame. “We were just really determined.”

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Mara Mellits

Lane's team huddle before the game started.

In response to Lane’s determination, York ran a full-court press. The energy manifested in clashes all over the court, drawing fouls from both sides. Early in the first quarter, the gym fell silent, Lane’s Katrina Arsenijevic walking back to the bench with a bloodied face after being elbowed at the half-court line. Lane’s Anastasia Lamperis, who recently suffered from an ankle injury, returned to the court in Arsenijevic’s place. Despite the hindrance, Lamperis proved to be a key player for Lane, leading the team in scoring.

“I’m in a lot of pain when I basically do anything,” Lamperis said postgame about her recovery. “I get taped up really tight and at least stop some of the pain, and when I’m out on the court, the least of my worries are how much I’m hurting.”

Lamperis broke through the Dukes’ iron defense but couldn’t score. York established an early lead, ending the first quarter 12-7.

“They came up on us really quickly and didn’t let us dribble or pass too much, but we were calm about it,” Lamperis said. “We just kept passing around until someone was open, or one of the defenders was lacking.”

York outpaced Lane in the second quarter in both speed and scoring. York’s aggressive defense led to fouls though, giving Lane a chance to build up points. Lamperis finally brought Lane to ten points. Jones remained persistent as well, rebounding her own shots, and Arsenijevic returned to the court full strength, intercepting York passes and scoring. But Lane ultimately suffered a lapse – in a stunning feat, York grew their lead into the thirties with breakaways and free throws. With Blass hitting threes from all over the court, York dominated the first half, 40-16.

With Blass scoring 27 points in the first half, she would be the focal point defensively for Lane going into the second half. Adjusting to York would have to start with her. 

“We decided not to leave [Blass] and stick with her, make sure to push her out in the lane so she wouldn’t drive to the basket,” Jones said.

And ultimately, it worked. With more pressure on York’s top scorer, Blass only managed to score two points in the second half. As for strategy, Lane had to slow defense down and clean up passing, according to Jones.

With an adjusted strategy and Blass heavily guarded, Lane effectively slowed down York’s momentum in the second half– York only managing to score 18 points, and Lane scoring a close 14 points. Throughout the third quarter, York managed to squeeze some threes in from Kohl and sophomore Hannah Meyers. But Lane chased after York with baskets from Ulie, Lamperis, Lauren Collins and Mimi Rector. The second half told a different story with fouls: Lane’s increasingly tough defense committed fouls and gave York opportunities to score.

York would continue working from a 20-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, taking advantage of free throws to grow their lead. Lane’s Logan Kane managed to reduce the point deficit with some twos, while Jones was able to break through York’s defense with some drives, but York’s speed dominated. With the clock running down, Lane was not able to catch up. York would move on to the regional final, winning 58-30. 

It’s not the happiest conclusion to the season, but playing hard and exemplifying resilience has made it all the more fun and memorable, according to Molloy.

“This team has been super resilient with all the COVID stuff that is going on,” she said. “And we also have had a really tough schedule this year with not a lot of reward. They’ve never quit.”