Like most players, Vernon Hills freshman guard Maliyah Mays was looking forward to her first playoff game.
She just didn’t anticipate playing a starring role.
Then again, Mays said she didn’t expect to make the varsity team this season, and she became a key starter.
“I just wanted to win,” Mays said. “Knowing the skills and plays from the other games helped me a lot.”
The 5-foot-6 Mays showed her growth during Vernon Hills’ Class 3A Resurrection Regional semifinal against Antioch on Tuesday. With uncanny poise, she scored nine of her 19 points in the fourth quarter to kick-start the 12th-seeded Cougars’ comeback in their 60-48 win against the sixth-seeded Sequoits.
Sophomore guard Keira Thomas added 17 points and seven rebounds for Vernon Hills (10-21), which will play fourth-seeded Resurrection in the regional final at 7 p.m. Thursday, and freshman guard Emma Jocson scored 14 points.
Forward Elyse Davis, Vernon Hills’ only senior starter, praised Mays for coming through in the clutch.
“She scored well today,” Davis said. “She showed a lot of confidence. It was a new experience for her, and she really stepped up to the plate.
“We’ve been really preparing for it. I think she showed she was ready.”
Antioch (17-11), which defeated Vernon Hills 58-50 on Nov. 15, played without starters Enza Nawrocki and Hailey Caya. Sophomore guard/forward Heidi Rathmann tried to carry the depleted Sequoits to the finish line, racking up a game-high 23 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
“I’m really proud of the girls because we have a bunch of athletes, not necessarily basketball players,” Antioch coach Jamie D’ Andrea said. “We have a handful of basketball players, like Heidi Rathmann, who plays year-round. We put together a really solid season. They took their athletic intelligence and they brought it onto the basketball court.”
Mays brought her best when it mattered Tuesday. The Sequoits pulled ahead 39-34 late in the third quarter, but Mays opened the fourth with a steal and a coast-to-coast layup. Just over a minute later, the left-handed Mays swished a rainbow 3-pointer and then made another steal and a layup to give the Cougars a 49-44 lead with 4:07 left.
“I love the fact that’s she not afraid to do any of that stuff,” Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner. “She’s one of the players who have made a lot of improvement throughout the year, just getting used to varsity and contributing. She did great today on both ends of the floor.”
Thomas sealed the win with two late baskets.
“Keira and I get along on the court, and I kind of know where she’s going to be, so I try to make it happen for her,” Mays said.
Davis, a two-year starter, said she was impressed with Mays and the other underclassmen.
“She’s been working really hard, and as a team we’ve been coming together to try to push her to get to all the places on the court,” Davis said. “We’ve been making sure everyone understands their role on the team, and she’s really grown to fit into her role and also to push everyone on the floor to be better, just by her movements and talking and scoring.”
Mays said she struggled early in the season but hopes her latest game is a preview of a career filled with many more playoff wins.
“It’s going to be very exciting growing with my teammates,” she said.
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
