Tavares reaches milestone, propels Belleville West to playoff victory over Minooka

She recalled struggling to win draws, struggling with shot accuracy and watching the opponent celebrate victory on her home turf.

“I played terribly that game, so my mindset was, ‘I’m not going out like I did last year,’ ” Tavares said.

Tavares scored nine goals, including her 100th of the season, and helped Belleville West overcome a sluggish start Monday to defeat Minooka 15-7 in a Washington Sectional quarterfinal at Belleville West.

Belleville West (19-1) advanced play New Lenox Lincoln-Way Central (15-3) in a sectional semifinal at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Washington High School. Lincoln-Way Central defeated O’Fallon 20-7 in another quarterfinal.

The Washington Sectional final is scheduled to be played at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

In a 16-5 loss to the Maroons on May 7, Minooka (8-9) watched senior Reese Bennett explode for 10 goals. On Monday, the Indians held Bennett to one goal and forced other Belleville West players to assert themselves offensively.

The philosophy worked to perfection in the opening eight minutes, as a weaving offense and stifling defense caused confusion and staked Minooka to an early 2-1 lead.

“We made some adjustments that kept them down for a little bit,” Minooka coach Brian MacDonald said.

But Tavares was determined not to be kept down again.

She was awarded a pair of free position shots after blazing a path into the center of the Indians defense and converted on both. Then, she spun her way to the front of the net and scored her third goal in less than two minutes.

“Mackenzie started doing what she does best and that gave our team the spark to get to where we needed to be,” Belleville West coach Darien Jacobs said.

Tavares, Bennett and senior Mariella Pellmann dominated around the draw circle, going 19-for-24 in gaining possession for Belleville West. Despite being held in check offensively, Bennett still made a major impact by winning draws, forcing turnovers, collecting ground balls and dishing out assists.

A steal by Bennett in the closing seconds of the half led to junior Alora McClosky’s third goal and gave the Maroons an 8-4 advantage at intermission.

“Our biggest thing is that it doesn’t matter who scores as long as someone scores,” Bennett said. “Stats don’t matter. Shots weren’t falling for me, but they were for my teammates and that’s all that matters.”

But the stats are certainly impressive, including the area-leading 126 ground balls collected by Pellman.

An excellent defensive possession by Minooka to begin the second half resulted in a dislodged ball three times, but crowded retrievals by senior Adelin Oser, sophomore Madison Frees and Pellman extended a possession that Pellman finished with a rocket on the run.

“I’m not the most aggressive person,” said Pellman, who earned seven ground balls. “I see the ball, and I feel like I get lucky. I don’t get in the pile. I just come by, grab it and go.”

Sophomore Finley Barten kept Minooka within striking distance with five goals. The 10-6 Belleville West lead midway through the second half was an uncommon position for the Maroons, which had played just six games decided by fewer than 11 goals.

But Tavares had more magic left in her stick. She drove to the center and scored, converted an 8-meter shot for her 99th of the season and earned another free position shot, where she tried a behind the head trick shot that sailed inches over the crossbar.

“I didn’t know (it was for 100). I just wanted to do it,” said Tavares, a Missouri Baptist commit.

“Last time I did a (behind-the-back shot), it got taken away and I got a yellow card, so I just wanted to try it again.”

A conventional free-position bouncer earned her number 100, where she joined Lindenwood-bound senior Reese Bennett (109) as teammates who have reached the century mark this season.

The feat has been accomplished only nine times in the previous 22 seasons, including by Clayton senior Paige Rawitscher, who netted 124 goals during her senior season that ended Friday. Before this season, Parkway West’s Lauren Ottensmeyer was the last to do it, scoring 116 times in 2019.

But Belleville West is not after individual glory, and despite few close contents during the regular season, the Maroons feel ready to handle the tightly-contested games in their near future, including the early scare they received from Minooka.

“When competition rises, we rise,” Bennett said.

The game Monday marked the last home game for Jacobs, who will be moving closer to family and teaching at Lockport High next year while coaching girls basketball and assisting the girls lacrosse program.

“It’s definitely bittersweet. Going out with a win is nice and also going out with our players playing the way they did is also nice,” Jacobs said. “The seniors are the pillars of this program and they’ve paved the way for the future.”

For Bennett and Tavares, the impact of Jacobs has been vital to their love of the sport.

“His personality is very inviting, and I think that’s what made everybody want to come out and play lacrosse,” Bennett said.

“He’s the reason I played,” Tavares added. “I wouldn’t be out here if he wasn’t here.”