Not a lot of teams can overcome a poor shooting night.

Downers Grove North is one of the few that can.

Routinely regarded as one of the better defensive teams in the state, the Trojans again lived up to that standard Thursday night. Holding St. Laurence scoreless in the fourth quarter, Downers Grove North stormed back for a 29-26 win in a Class 4A regional final it hosted.

Needing every one of those stops to overcome a nine-point deficit in the second half, Ady Fanta’s basket off a pass from Campbell Thulin with 17.1 seconds remaining capped off a 10-0 run and proved to be the game-winner. It marked only the second lead of the game for the Trojans (29-2), the other coming early in the contest at 5-4.

“We had called a timeout before (that final possession) but we didn’t plan to run that play,” said Fanta, whose team got the ball back with 52 seconds left after a Vikings offensive foul. “It ended up being communication between the bench and the players on the floor. My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball, I just had to be in the right spot.”

Fanta, who finished with nine points, cut down the lane after receiving a screen from above the free throw line and Thulin found her from the right wing.

“I think this shows what type of team this is,” Fanta said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well, we had our ups and downs but we always fight. That is what we are all about.”

Spearheading the comeback was Thulin, who hit a pair of three-pointers to get DGN within 26-23 with 5:32 left. She also closed out the scoring with a pair of makes at the charity stripe after the visitors missed a pair of free throws with seven seconds on the clock.

“That was fun,” said Thulin, who led all scorers with 13 points. “Our shots weren’t falling, normally they do. But we are not just a shooting team, defense is what we can fall back on. The first quarter we were a little shaky, their No. 5 (Ciyah Thomas) is a great player, but we stayed with it.

“This means a lot. This team, we don’t want it to end. We are super close, just a great energy. We have six amazing seniors; they can go anywhere they want. I feel like the luckiest player that I’ve had the chance to play with them. We have so much fun playing together and when that happens, the basketball comes so naturally.”

Lizzy Murphy contributed 13 rebounds and Eva Yerkovich totaled five points and two steals for the Trojans, who held an opponent under 30 points for the 19th-time this winter. In fact, only in six instances has a team even reached the 40-point mark against DGN.

Now just one victory away from tying the program record of 30 victories, the Trojans head to Hinsdale Central for a sectional semifinal against the host Red Devils on Tuesday. The West Suburban Silver foes are quite familiar with each other, having already met on three occasions this season.

“Our group is super resilient,” said DGN coach Stephen Bolt, whose team won their 15th-game in a row while capturing their third consecutive regional championship. “We have a couple of great leaders in Ady and Campbell, the whole time they were telling our kids to stay with it. To give up zero points in the fourth quarter, even with us chasing and not able to put the ball in the basket, it gives you a chance.

“It starts with six seniors who are selfless. These players care about each other and they trust each other. To even win a regional (in this ultra-tough sectional), it’s a bear. We tell the kids, you have to play great teams at some point. St. Laurence is a really nice team and they gave us a heck of a game.”