Palatine’s Nia Pappas outdueled Highland Park’s Lena Munzer Saturday as the Pirates defeated the host Giants 62-50.
“She’s awesome, a great player,” Pappas said. “Pretty much unstoppable.”
When it mattered most, it was Pappas who was unstoppable.
The game was competitive throughout. Palatine (8-1) led 24-23 at the break and 41-38 at the end of three quarters. When Highland Park senior Sarah Glazer finished a three-point play early in the fourth quarter, the Giants trailed 43-41.
Then Pappas took over.
She drilled two straight three-point shots, giving Palatine a 49-43 lead with 5:44 left. Sixteen seconds later, Munzer fouled out. Although Highland Park (3-5) got as close as 54-50, the Giants could not come all the way back.
“When your best player, your leading scorer fouls out with five minutes to play and you don’t quit, that says a lot about your team,” Highland Park coach Jodi Bechtel said.
Pappas, a senior, finished with a game-high 30 points — 12 in the fourth quarter. Munzer scored 22 points before fouling out. She was 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Highland Park senior Tina Berardi was the only other player in double digits with 10 points.
