With seven seconds on the clock and victory all be certain, guard Destiny Jackson made a beeline toward coach Krissy Harper, standing on the sideline. Jackson didn’t break stride until she found the arms of her coach. As the final horn blared throughout UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena, the two embraced a hug to punctuate their victory.
Young (22-8) beat Kenwood 72-61 to win their fourth straight city championship. Jackson was electric, scoring 42 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing four assists.
The two didn’t have the opportunity to have a moment after last season’s city championship amid the chaos of the moment. But another victory afforded them a do-over.
“She instilled belief in me,” Jackson said of Harper. “I’m doing it for her, so when we win, then I go to her.”
Jackson was masterful throughout the entirety of the game, which is to be expected. Playing in a city championship has been a forgone conclusion for her since she entered high school.
That experience on the big stage paid off for Jackson and Young. She’s an athletic guard with impressive first-step quickness that was on display Saturday night. But Jackson’s ability to manipulate the defense and attack however she wanted separated her on Saturday. She was cerebral and poised.
If Jackson saw a second defender coming from her right, she would crossover to her left hand and dart to the basket for a layup. Kenwood had cut Young’s lead to two in the third quarter and right on cue, Jackson rifled a pass to guard Kiaya Johnson in the left corner for a three-pointer.
“She showed her basketball IQ today,” Harper said of Jackson.
Sophomore guard Gaby Domercant scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds for Young. Her three threes were crucial to the Dolphins’ win. Her shooting spaced the floor for Jackson. If the defense collapsed on Jackson, she knew Domercant and Johnson were open.
“The goal is always to win,” Jackson said. “So me just getting my teammates involved, [it’s] because I believe in them. I just believe in all my shooters.”
Kenwood (28-3) grabbed the momentum in the third quarter with a 24-point quarter. Guard Ariella Henigan scored 20 points in the quarter for the Broncos. The first minutes of the fourth quarter would be critical for both teams. Knowing the time and score, Kenwood started pressing Young and double-teaming Jackson. A secondary ballhandler would be needed and Johnson was the answer.
Her three-pointer in the third quarter portended a strong finish for the senior guard. Johnson — who made her season debut on Saturday after suffering a torn ACL last spring — rattled off four quick points that forced Kenwood coach Andre Lewis to call timeout less than two minutes into the quarter. After knocking off the rust, Johnson finished with nine points.
“Not gonna lie, I was nervous,” Johnson said. “But my teammates kept reminding me I have it, and I kept telling myself, ‘I just need one.’ When I saw the first one go in, I was good.”
The Dolphins became the first team to win four city championships since the 2009-12 Dolphins. Young accomplished a four-peat in a resounding fashion, but the team knows more basketball will be played. The Dolphins aren’t content with just a city championship. They want to capture their first IHSA Class 4A title since 2014.
“I can finally say that all four years I was in the city , nobody could beat my teams,” Jackson said. “That’s real big, and I’m gonna cherish that forever being able to say that.”