Kaelie Tomalak knew she wanted to leave everything out there for St. Charles North.

Coming in for a fouled-out Sydney Johnson with a minute remaining in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Class 4A regional final against York, the junior came in hoping to help preserve a three-point lead to secure the win.

But after missing two free throws and having the Dukes tie the game to send it into overtime, the mindset shifted for the sophomore.

“I was just thinking that I had to be smart about it,” Tomalak said. “We were both in the bonus, but I had to play well and look to score in a good, smart way.”

That change in mindset proved to be crucial.

Tomalak scored five points in the overtime period, including the game-winning 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining, to help the fourth-seeded North Stars hold off the fifth-seeded Dukes for a 48-46 victory.

“Some of these younger players, they’ve been behind some impressive players, but they’ve stayed with it, and they’ve stayed ready the entire time,” first-year North Stars coach Grant Oler said. “If you stay ready for the moment, you don’t have to get ready.

“What a moment for Kaelie, and it happened because she stayed ready.”

The North Stars (23-7) secured their third regional title in four years with the win, the only exception being a loss in the regional final at home a season ago.

“We knew we couldn’t take any team lightly, especially after last season,” junior Bronwyn How said. “We knew we couldn’t underestimate York. We stuck to our stuff, played at our level, and it’s just a great feeling to come out on top this time.”

Tomalak’s shot came after the Dukes tied the game 44-44 off a pair of free throws from Briley O’Brien with 20 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, the sophomore was handed the ball from the wing and buried it to give the North Stars a 47-44 lead.

“I honestly wasn’t thinking of anything when I took the shot,” Tomalak said. “I was just so focused on the game that I wasn’t thinking of it. I’m just glad it ended up going in.”

The North Stars entered the overtime period with two starters (Johnson and Lelanie Posada) fouled out. But even with the shortened cast, Oler was happy with how the entire team performed.

“I told them that whatever we do for the next 36 minutes, we’re going to do it together,” Oler said. “And talk about the playing together, that they did. Everybody that got into that game played an important role in that game. It was just really cool.”

The Dukes (15-16) did not give up easily. After being down 37-29 midway through the fourth quarter, they finished regulation on an 11-3 run, which was ended on a game-tying, off-balance 3-pointer by Avery Larma with three seconds left to end regulation in a 40-40 tie.

“That was easily the coolest shot that I’ve ever been a part of as a coach,” Dukes coach Brandon Collings said. “To come down on the move and then put that up, it was just an incredible shot.

“We had the momentum 100% in our favor heading into overtime. That should’ve been ours. But I give St. Charles North all the credit, they did what they needed to do to get the win.”

It was a stark contrast to the start of the contest for both sides, where the combination of stifling defense and commanding paint presence from the 6-foot-2 How (14 points, 10 rebounds) helped the North Stars hold a 23-16 lead at halftime.

But come the second half, the Dukes stormed back once again, trimming the game to just a 27-26 deficit heading into the final stanza.

“Early in the game you could tell the nerves were there, and we couldn’t beat the pressure,” Collings said. “But we did what we always do, we battled. We hit some big shots and kept crawling back.”

O’Brien ended up leading the Dukes with 16 points, 12 of which came from the free-throw line. Larma added 14 more.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the way that we played out there,” Collings said. “The ups and downs of emotions, though, that’s what makes playoff basketball amazing. They were pumped up throughout the game, then we took their emotions in the beginning and upped ours. Just wish it was our night.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2026/02/20/kaelie-tomalak-knocks-down-go-ahead-3-pointer-in-ot-helps-st-charles-north-defeat-york-for-regional-title/