'Yeah, wow': Dramatic 3-pointer in final seconds sends SHG girls past Springfield High

Bill Welt, State Journal-Register
·3 min read
SHG sophomores Callie Huston (left) and Maggie Fleischli (20) try to contain Springfield High's Virtuous Komolafe on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, in the girls City Tournament at the Bank of Springfield Center.
SHG sophomores Callie Huston (left) and Maggie Fleischli (20) try to contain Springfield High's Virtuous Komolafe on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, in the girls City Tournament at the Bank of Springfield Center.

The Sacred Heart-Griffin girls basketball team decided to go for the win during the final timeout with 6.3 seconds left.

Fortune favors the brave.

Junior forward Cheresse Mitchell corralled the inbounds pass from sophomore teammate Maggie Fleischli and netted the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left en route to a dramatic 47-46 victory over Springfield High in the final City girls game slated at the Bank of Springfield Center on Saturday.

“Cheresse, she's been knocking down that 3, so she did it and yeah, wow,” SHG coach Steve Klunick said.

NOTHING BUT NET

Mitchell, who averaged 7.9 points per game prior to the tournament, hit three of her four 3-point attempts in the second half and finished with 11 points.

Senior guard Meghan Wegner’s screen set up the last one.

“I just started hoping it would go in, and it did and I'm so grateful to be on this team,” Mitchell said. “Springfield played a great game, too. Everyone put their heart on the line for this game.”

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SHG shot 6-of-17 (35.3%) from 3-point range. Wegner and Fleischli added eight points apiece, the former with two treys. Sophomore forward Callie Huston led the Cyclones (14-8, 10-2 Central State Eight Conference) with 12 points.

“We don't encourage jacking up the 3, but if they get it stepping into it, we don't mind them at all shooting it,” Klunick said.

Cheresse Mitchell
Cheresse Mitchell

SHG THWARTS COMEBACK

SHS senior forward Chloe Byrd drove to the basket and vaulted the Senators (17-7, 11-1 CS8) ahead 46-44 with 25 seconds left after overcoming an 11-point deficit in the third quarter.

Byrd scored 12 of her game-high 16 points in the second half in addition to 11 rebounds. Kaleah Toran added nine points while Virtuous Komolafe and Jayln Lanier had eight points apiece.

More: 'Under these lights': How the Springfield High girls pulled a City Tournament rarity

SHS coach Brad Scheffler said they just didn’t match up with Mitchell at the end.

“Credit to them, she's a very good shooter and she hit three of them tonight,” Scheffler said. “We talked about it before the game, we have to try to limit her jump shots as much as we can and obviously she's gotten a lot better throughout the year.”

SIGNS OF GROWTH

SHG features three sophomores (Fleischli, Huston and Caroline Lambert), one junior (Mitchell) and one senior (Wegner) in the starting lineup.

“We're so young,” Klunick said. “The growth on the whole team has been tremendous because they work and they practice. To get a win like this, that's a compliment to them really.”

Mitchell said everyone pushes each other regardless of age. They ultimately avenged a previous 46-44 loss to SHS on Dec. 7 and claimed at least a share of the City title.

SHG will wrap up the tournament at home against Lanphier at 6 p.m. on Monday.

“It was a very, very physical game,” Mitchell said. “Everyone was under pressure. We were all trying to keep our composure and just trying to stay calm. Springfield played very well. They had us on that press and we just had to figure out how to beat it. I think our teammates did well.”

Contact Bill Welt: bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA girls basketball: Cheresse Mitchell hits big 3 for SHG at City