SOUTH HOLLAND | Bumping up to Class 2A proved not to be a bump in the road for Seton Academy.
The Sting beat rival St. Francis de Sales Thursday night, 55-51, to win the Class 2A Seton Academy Sectional.
The Sting (24-8), which won a Class 1A sectional last year, was moved up because of the IHSA's multiplier. It was the second straight sectional crown for second-year coach Kevin Green.
Seton will play Walther Lutheran on Monday at the Concordia University Supersectional. It will be looking for its first trip downstate since 1998.
In a game which saw eight fourth-quarter lead changes and was played before a packed and screaming house, Seton's Ebony Bailey took control of the game in the fourth quarter and put her team in the driver's seat.
She had 10 of her game-high 19 points in the quarter, including back-to-back baskets to put her team up 54-51.
"They changed up defenses, dropped into a 2-3 zone and that left me open," Bailey said. "I knew I had to be aggressive and go towards the basket."
On her last basket, she dribbled uncontested for a layup with 43.6 seconds left.
"She is my floor general," Green said. 'That's who I want out there in those tough situations. Actually, all of our kids played hard."
The Sting's Tiffany Ellis hit her fifth and final 3-pointer with 3:26 left to close Seton within 51-50.
St. Francis de Sales (15-13) got back-to-back baskets by Isis Mance (10 points) to take a 51-50 lead.
"I was just thinking about making it and helping my team win," Ellis said. "No way were we gonna lose on our court. That last 3 didn't feel any different than the others."
St. Francis de Sales Tyler Brown-Henderson led her team with 13 points and said it was a tough loss.
"Very emotional game," she said. "We gave it all we could, played hard, but I love my teammates."
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