West Aurora junior Maya Rabadan was really surprised last season when she was asked to play in the post.
That was understandable considering the 5-foot-4 Rabadan, one of the shortest players in the program, had never played inside.
“I was a guard freshman year and halfway through sophomore year we lost a player, so they just put me (at center),” Rabadan said. “I’m not the tallest, so it was a little scary.
“But it was OK. I like change.”
It turns out Rabadan likes playing in the lane, where the buck often stops with her.
“She’s our leading rebounder nearly every game,” West Aurora coach Teresa Waldinger said. “She’s just so gritty when it comes to her defensive passion.
“It’s all about heart, so we can always just count on Maya.”
The seventh-seeded Blackhawks did so again on Monday. Rabadan scored four points and led all players with 11 rebounds and five steals as West Aurora eliminated 10th-seeded Downers Grove South 50-39 in a Class 4A Waubonsie Valley Regional semifinal in Aurora.
It was the 12th consecutive win for the Blackhawks (21-4), who advance to face second-seeded Waubonsie Valley (28-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday for the regional championship.
Senior guard Brooklynn Johnson led West Aurora with 27 points, while sophomore guard Syncere Williams added 10 points and senior guard Shiane Johnson had seven points.
But it was Rabadan who set the tone early, recording four of her steals and three offensive rebounds in the first quarter while helping defend Downers Grove South star Hayven Harden.
The 6-0 Harden scored 18 points, including the 1,000th of her career, but was held relatively in check on the boards, finishing with six rebounds. She fouled out midway through the fourth quarter with West Aurora holding a 43-37 lead.
The Mustangs (16-16) went scoreless for nearly three minutes and tallied just two points the rest of the way. The St. Xavier-bound Brooklynn Johnson credited Rabadan for her work on Harden.
“She’s just aggressive,” Johnson said. “She’s the most aggressive player, especially on boards. She really goes and gets after it. She wants it more than anybody else.”
Rabadan demonstrated that throughout Monday’s game. She attempted only three shots but had four offensive rebounds, including one with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter that led to Shiane Johnson sinking two free throws for a 48-39 cushion.
“She has that heart and that drive that you just can’t teach a kid,” Waldinger said of Rabadan. “She’s so strong and she just wants it.
“She’s always solid, but she was definitely more aggressive throughout the entirety (Monday).”
Such resilience proved infectious as the Blackhawks earned a 26-24 rebounding edge on the taller Mustangs. West Aurora also feasted at the foul line of the physical and tightly officiated battle, sinking 22 of 30 free throws, with Brooklynn Johnson going 14 for 17.
“I feel like it was a team effort,” Rabadan said. “All of us wanted the ball. All of us wanted to win.”
And what was the key?
“It’s just the rebounding, I guess,” Rabadan said. “It’s just heart and just wanting the ball.”
While Rabadan hasn’t added any height, the stature of her game is expanding.
“I feel like I’ve grown from the beginning of the season,” Rabadan said. “I like scrapping for the ball and getting the ball, making sure we get a second look.”
Although West Aurora will be huge underdogs against Waubonsie, the Blackhawks now have a chance to win their first regional title since 2006.
“I think we can win,” Brooklynn Johnson said. “We all want it. We’re all aggressive.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
