Romeoville Progresses, But Bolingbrook Advances In IHSA Playoffs

It's easy to get down after a loss to the Bolingbrook Lady Raiders.

Coach Tony Smith's team dials up the pressure from the opening tip with an intense defensive mindset and precise offensive sets. And from the outset, it looked as if the Romeoville Spartans were prepared to go toe-to-toe with the two-time defending state champions.

But the Lady Raiders followed with 19 unanswered points to take control of the game .

As demoralizing as such a one-sided loss might sound, Romeoville head coach Julio Carrasco was upbeat after the game.

"It was a great year and I'm not really disappointed," Carrasco said. "Bolingbrook is the cream of the crop. This is what we want to become and we've got two years to become it."

At the end of last season, a statement such as that would have been mocked. The Spartans were coming off a 20-loss campaign and were a group of youngsters still getting their feet wet at the varsity level.

Romeoville had a complete turnaround this season, winning 20 regular season games and advancing to the regional final before bowing out to Bolingbrook.

"We met all our goals except one. Next year, we'll raise the bar," Carrasco said. "Our goal is going to be to win a regional championship. Hopefully we can bring one home to Romeoville."

As for Bolingbrook, which brought the regional title home by virtue of its 85-33 triumph, the road to a third straight state championship is that much shorter.

The Lady Raiders dispatched their two opponents at the Plainfield East Regional by a total score of 181-50. Junior forward Morgan Tuck has been the dominant force on offense, racking up 54 points in the first two postseason contests. Bolingbrook's bench has seen a spark from Cabriana Capers, who has 19 points and 17 rebounds off the bench.

Smith said he was happy with the way his team came out and took command of the regional title bout, but didn't share those same feelings when reflecting on the second quarter.

A 21-minute delay caused by a pulled fire alarm at the 2:34 mark of the second quarter seemed to take the Lady Raiders out of their rhythm as a few missed shots in the lane and some misfired free throws littered what was a near flawless first half.

Smith said the team will have its moments where not everything goes right and knows that's where the challenge is for Bolingbrook.

"We're going to have to keep working at it knowing that each day is going to bring a different challenge for us," Smith said.

Up next for Bolingbrook? A contest on Monday against the winner of the Naperville (Central) vs. (Nequa Valley) at 7:30 p.m. at Romeoville High School.