NORMAL — Emory Klatt appeared to be in trouble late in Stevenson’s Class 4A state semifinal on Friday.
With Benet’s aggressive defense charging toward her as she crossed midcourt, the sophomore forward quickly looked for a teammate who could handle the pressure.
Klatt veered to her left to avoid a costly turnover and suddenly spotted Ava Bardic running in her direction, and she whipped a pass to the senior point guard.
“We knew we could rely on Ava to bring up the ball and make free throws because she’s been doing things like that so much this season, and we have a trust in her,” Klatt said.
In typical fashion, Bardic played rescuer throughout the physical and foul-filled game at Redbird Arena.
It’s a role that Bardic, a four-year varsity starter who has committed to Illinois-Springfield, is quite familiar with during crunchtime, and the fourth quarter became her time in the biggest game of her career.
Bardic made seven free throws down the stretch and finished with a game-high 16 points to carry Stevenson to a hard-fought 36-28 victory.
The Patriots (35-2), who are ranked No. 1 in the Class 4A poll by The Associated Press, will try to win their first state title since 1996 when they play Barrington (30-5) in the championship game at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. Stevenson won both regular-season matchups, 52-41 on Dec. 13 and 53-51 on Dec. 30.
“We really wanted to win this game, and I don’t think we realized what could’ve happened if we lost,” Bardic said. “I think this whole year our goal has been to win state. Losing wouldn’t have fulfilled what we wanted to do.
“Everybody on our team talked before the game in the locker room about winning this game. It was a total team effort. I don’t think it was a pressure to make it to state, but a desire to make it to state for us.”
Senior guard Simone Sawyer, a Penn recruit who missed all eight of her shots and scored just two points, said the Patriots didn’t play their best game against No. 2 Benet (30-4) but managed to come together in the final minutes.
“We’ve never really made it far,” Sawyer said. “To make it to the state title game is really big, especially it being our last game (Saturday) as seniors.”
The 5-foot-7 Bardic wasn’t spectacular, but she was efficient. She played all 32 minutes to help the Patriots overcome 1-for-12 3-point shooting and foul trouble that affected Sawyer, junior center Kate Arne and sophomore guard Kendell Williams. Bardic turned the ball over just four times.
Klatt had seven points and 10 rebounds, and her strong play in the post, particularly on defense, was a key factor for Stevenson.
The Redwings had their own issues shooting the ball, missing all 14 of their 3-point shots, and they committed 24 turnovers. They had a 14-minute scoring drought.
Benet star junior guard Lenee Beaumont scored just seven points and fouled out with a little more than three minutes left. Senior center Morgan Demos, a Navy recruit, made 1of 6 shots from the floor and finished with three points.
Benet coach Joe Kilbride, who has won two state championships, praised Bardic for her strong play down the stretch.
“She was very good tonight,” Kilbride said. “She made shots. We tried some different things. … But she had a good game.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
