By Mike Clark
Down 10 points with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter against a returning state placer led by a national top-100 player could have been too tall a hurdle for Kenwood girls basketball.
But the Broncos didn’t go away quietly in the IHSA Class 4A Hinsdale Central Super-Sectional on Monday.
Fueled by the long-distance shooting of freshman Danielle Brooks, Kenwood went on a 14-3 run. Brooks’ 3-pointer from the left corner with 25 seconds left gave the Broncos their first lead since late in the third quarter, 46-45.
But Indiana-bound point guard Lenee Beaumont fed teammate Lindsay Harzich for the game-winning basket with five seconds left and Kenwood’s last shot was off the mark as Benet escaped with a 47-46 win.
The Broncos ended the best season in program history with a 30-6 record and their first Elite Eight berth.
Natasha Barnes, a senior guard headed to Missouri State, hit four 3-pointers and led Kenwood with 17 points. Brooks added 15, all on 3-pointers.
As painful as the season ending was, Barnes could take positives from her lone season with the Broncos. She started her high-school career at Lindblom, had a brief stint at prep school Example Academy and sat out as a junior after transferring to Kenwood.
“I definitely learned a lot,” Barnes said. “We definitely tried to put Chicago on the map.”
Benet coach Joe Kilbride, whose team headed to state for the fifth time since 2015, was impressed with the Broncos.
“I thought they were really good,” he said. “They struggled a little bit against our zone early but they certainly figured it out. Had some nice answers, they countered what we were doing. … Obviously Tasha and Danielle made some big shots for them.”
Broncos coach Andre Lewis appreciated his players’ effort, coming from 10 down in the first half to pull ahead 32-28 late in the third quarter and rallying again in the fourth.
“Extremely proud of the way that they continued to fight,” he said. “They never quit. One or two plays go another way, might be a different outcome.”
Brooks and sophomores Ariella Henigan, who grabbed five rebounds, and Diann Jackson will be part of a strong nucleus returning next season for the Broncos.
Kenwood’s other highlights included winning a third straight conference title and beating Young to win their first sectional after falling to the Dolphins in the Public League final.
“She’s fearless,” Lewis said of Brooks. “She doesn’t shy away from the big moments. That’s one of the things I enjoy most about coaching her.”
He’ll miss coaching Barnes next season.
“Tasha was big for us this year,” Lewis said. “She made plays on both ends of the floor. Of course, everyone knows about her shooting. But she did a lot of other things really well.”
