NORMAL — Dalia Dejesus proved she’s a once-in-a-generation player.
That’s how Deer Creek-Mackinaw coach Joni Nightingale has billed the all-state senior. Now, a statewide girls basketball audience got glimpse of what Dejesus can do in a big game.
Dejesus stuffed the stat sheet in Thursday’s 48-35 state semifinal win over Rockford Christian. No. 1 Dee-Mack (33-3) now advances to the 11 a.m. Saturday state championship, facing fourth-ranked Mt. Pulaski (33-1) at CEFCU Arena on the Illinois State University campus.
Dejesus had 31 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, four steals and four blocks. She made 9-of-15 shots, plus made 12 of 15 at the free-throw line. Her offensive arsenal ranged from floaters to post moves to rebound baskets to stepping out and hitting a 3-pointer.
“That’s just a Thursday for Dalia Dejesus,” Nightingale said. “That’s something she does all season long.”
Every time Dee-Mack needed a bucket, Dejesus stepped up.
“I just take a lot of pride in working super hard,” Dejesus said, “I’ve been working the last few years to become more physical, become more aggressive. I think my main thing is my teammates motivate me so much and pick me up.
“… They’re just my main motivators and really just make me as successful as I am.”
She was the most impressive during a pair of stretches in each half. The Quincy University commit scored six straight points to give Dee-Mack a lasting lead, hitting 2-of-3 free throws after getting fouled behind the arc as the first-quarter buzzer sounded.
In the final two frames, Dejesus scored 19 straight points over a span of nearly 10 minutes as the Chiefs ballooned their lead to 33-17 thanks to her rebound putback.
“I thought I was less nervous for this game,” she said, “than maybe I have been in our other postseason games. All of us did a great job of just talking to each other before the game … Just going out there and playing for each other and playing super hard.”
Rockford Christian (25-12), which came in riding a six-game win streak, had no answer for Dejesus, who averages 20.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game.
“She plays inside and outside well,” Rockford Christian coach Ted Lawver said. “And so for us, when she was outside, we were going to try and put pressure on her and keep her up. We got good defensive guards that can do that for long, extended periods.
“If she went inside, we were going to try and switch her up … and try to force her to make a decision. … She was able to take advantage of that.”
Defensively, the Chiefs held RC to its second-lowest output of the season. The unranked Royal Lions shot 27.3 percent (12-for-44) from the field, 2-of-14 on 3-pointers (14.3 percent) and turned it over 14 times. Shea Ludwig led Rockford Christian with 11 points and five rebounds. Lucy Gargani added nine points, five rebounds and four steals, while Josie Becker notched eight points and three steals.
All five Dee-Mack starters — Dejesus, Riley Durbin, Anna Schmidgall, Kate Schmidgall and Jaelyn Nunley — hit 3-pointers. Those five combined to shoot 14-for-33 (42.4 percent).
Rockford Christian managed to force 17 turnovers, but D-M controlled the glass, 29-24.
Mt. Pulaski 47, Mt. Sterling Brown County 40 (OT)
Alyson Murphy’s 3-pointer with 13 seconds left sent the game to overtime where Mt. Pulaski outscored Brown County, 9-2.
Murphy finished with a game-high 18 points as Mt. Pulaski will play in the program’s second state championship game. The Hilltoppers, who finished second in 2013, got 14 points from Elayna Marten and Addison Brown scored eight.
Maggi Henry’s 11 points paced four starters with seven points or more for No. 2-ranked Brown County (31-4).
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Masterful performance sets up showdown at IHSA girls basketball tournament
Reporting by Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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