Neuqua Valley’s Quinn Sigal didn’t play like a freshman who was appearing in her first high school playoff game on Monday.
The undersized center had an oversized impact on the game, especially for someone who didn’t make a basket and attempted only two shots.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Sigal said. “I was definitely nervous. But as the game went on, I felt more comfortable.
“Toward the end, I was getting a little nervous again, but when we got those steals and we got that lead, I was pretty confident that we were going to come away with a win.”
The host Wildcats did exactly that, holding off upset-minded Naperville Central 68-56 in the 4A Neuqua Valley Regional semifinals.
Fifth-seeded Neuqua Valley (19-10) advances to play fourth-seeded Benet (22-6), which beat West Aurora 57-34, in the regional final at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Neuqua Valley senior guard/forward Kylee Norkus scored 13 of her game-high 29 points in the fourth quarter, including eight points during a closing 15-0 run, but gushed about her youngest teammate.
“Quinn was our superhero today,” Norkus said. “I mean, she’s 5-foot-4 down low, and she’s stronger than everyone else down there.
“She was doing great. She was the one that helped us come out of the hole, and big props to her for that because that is really what got our adrenaline going, so I was extremely proud of her.”
The Wildcats had beaten 12th-seeded Naperville Central (12-20) by 18 points and 30 points during the regular season. But the Redhawks were ready to rewrite that script.
“We were really prepared for this game,” Naperville Central senior center Adriana Villanova said. “Our adrenaline was really pumping.
“We also didn’t want our season to end without us giving 110%, so that’s what we did. We almost had them. It didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but that’s life.”
Sophomore guard Erin Hackett scored 17 points, freshman guard Emerson Burke added 13 points and Villanova chipped in nine points and 10 rebounds for the Redhawks, who rallied from a 10-point deficit to take a 56-53 lead.
Neuqua Valley senior guard Caitlin Washington, who finished with 20 points, scored on a drive and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but Sigal snagged the rebound and was fouled with 2:18 remaining. It was Sigal’s fourth offensive rebound of the game.
“I was just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win,” she said. “I haven’t been scoring that much, and I just wanted to get that rebound. I was really determined to get it, and I was really glad that I could come away with it.”
Sigal made both free throws to put the Wildcats ahead to stay at 57-56. She finished with four points, all on free throws.
“I felt really confident,” she said. “I was calm and I was cool, and I was just looking at the rim. I was focused on, ‘I need to make this for the team and to start this momentum.’”
The Wildcats took that momentum and literally ran with it. The Redhawks missed their final five shots, while Norkus, Washington and sophomore guard Nalia Clifford each made two free throws and senior guard Zoe Navarro added another.
“I thought we played great and then the last 2 ½ minutes just didn’t do what we needed to do,” Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. “I’m so disappointed.
“We told them all the way back in Game 1 that we’re going to make it our goal to play our best and be happy with playing our best and still be unhappy with not winning. That was this game to a T.”
Norkus, an Evansville recruit, made her final six shots, including two layups in the final minute, and finished 11 of 17 to go with a game-high 11 rebounds and three steals.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even looking at my stats,” she said. “I was just looking at the score and how close it was and what do I need to do for this team because I’m not leaving here and having this be my last game.
“Yeah, we had some ugly moments. We also had some pretty moments.”
The Wildcats will get at least one more playoff moment against Benet, which edged them 60-58 on Dec. 27.
“I’m really excited to play Benet on Thursday,” Norkus said. “They’re a great team, so we’re going to see how much we’ve grown from the beginning of the season. But I’m also very proud of the team tonight.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
