Sajda Tyehimba has mixed emotions when it comes to playing basketball.
If anyone knows about the highs and lows of the game, it’s the senior guard from Thornton.
“I have a love-hate relationship with the ups and downs,” Tyehimba said. “When I’m up, I feel the most high, and when I’m down, I’m low.”
But she quickly recovers.
“It helps me keep going,” Tyehimba said. “It helps me strive for greatness.”
There were plenty of emotions Wednesday for Tyehimba.
After scoring five points as the Wildcats trailed eight points at halftime, she erupted in the second half and finished with 26 points to help Thornton take down host Richards 60-55 in double overtime in the second round of the Bobby Bolton Tip-Off Classic in Oak Lawn.
Kamiyah Boone, a 5-foot-1 senior guard, added 12 points — eight in OT — and had seven rebounds for Thornton (2-0). Cayla Abraham added 12 points.
Kailey Moore scored 17 points for Richards (1-1) in interesting fashion. All 10 of her points in the first half came on free throws. She also had eight rebounds and four steals.
Miracle Shelton also tallied 14 points, with seven coming in OT. Leilani Avila contributed 13 points, including four 3-pointers, and hauled down nine rebounds.
Tyehimba, meanwhile, was not happy with her performance in the first half before coach Eric Armstrong entered the locker room, and he knew he had to ratchet her spirits up.
“She rides the wave of her emotions,” Armstrong said of Tyehimba. “She didn’t really have a good first half. She struggled. She was really despondent as if the game was over with.
“I told her, ‘Hey, there is a whole half left. You are OK. A whole half of basketball is an eternity. And eight points is nothing.’”
Tyehimba opened the second half with two free throws and scored the first three points in the fourth quarter while adding seven dramatic points in OT.
Her steal and offensive rebound that resulted in a conventional 3-point play with 1:26 left in the second OT gave the Wildcats a 56-53 lead, which they never relinquished.
“She is the best shooter on the team,” Boone said of Tyehimba. “She’s the best playmaker. And she can dribble. She’s a real good asset to the team.”
Boone had two shots bank in during overtime. They weren’t by luck, either.
“We’ve been practicing using the backboard,” Boone said. “When you hit the backboard, it’s an easy bank shot.”
Armstrong pointed out that the guards could have more success if they use the backboard when they pass the volleyball line and go into the lane.
“That little three-foot or five-foot shot is difficult for a shorter player,” Armstrong said. “When we get past the volleyball line, use the backboard and let that square be your friend.”
With one more tournament round to be played Thursday, the Wildcats put themselves in a good position for a slot in the 1:30 p.m. Saturday championship game at Richards.
Marist, which had a 2-0 record in pool play at Shepard, also is in a good position to be the other team in the final.
Tyehimba, who said she is getting some junior college interest, started playing basketball when she was 10 and lived in Gary. She also lived in Chicago and played two years at Thornwood before transferring last year to Thornton.
She loves the fit at Thornton, but didn’t like letting her teammates down in Wednesday’s first half.
“I was getting worried because my shots were not falling in,” Tyehimba said. “I had to take a deep breath at halftime and get my mind back together so we could come back and win the game.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
