Sophomore newcomer Jemiyah McDonald gets to work for H-F. It spells trouble for Sandburg. ‘I just kept pushing.’

Sophomore guard Jemiyah McDonald had plenty of competition Wednesday at practice for Homewood-Flossmoor.

Afterward, senior teammate Alyssa Latham challenged her again.

“I stayed with her until 7:30 to help her with her free throws,” Latham said. “I was getting on her. All she had to make was 10 in a row. She worked hard for an hour and a half.”

The end results?

“It was hard at first,” McDonald said. “But she kept me going, kept me motivated, and I knocked them down.”

McDonald didn’t hit any free throws Thursday night but definitely was a game-changer for the host Vikings in a 56-31 win over Sandburg in the Class 4A H-F Regional championship game in Flossmoor.

Syracuse recruit Alyssa Latham led H-F (18-6) with 16 points and eight rebounds. Jaeda Murphy had 14 points, while Aunyai Deere contributed nine points and five rebounds.

Josie Canellis scored eight points for Sandburg (16-17). Claire Callaghan added seven points and Zoe Trunk had six.

H-F will play Lincoln-Way Central (24-9) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Romeoville Sectional semifinals.

McDonald, meanwhile, scored 10 points to reach double figures for the first time in her varsity career. Eight came in the first half, allowing H-F to take command.

“The coaches kept saying they were going to leave us open,” McDonald said of the team’s guards. “They told us to shoot the ball. And I just kept pushing.”

With time running out in the first quarter, the 5-foot-3 McDonald nailed a 3-pointer to put H-F on top 8-6. Her second 3-pointer gave the Vikings their first double-digit lead at 16-6.

McDonald added a layup and also totaled four rebounds during her most productive half of the season.

The threes were huge, especially when Latham was being covered heavily by Sandburg defenders.

She got Latham’s stamp of approval, for sure.

“It’s really impressive just to see her grow,” Latham said. “She’s willing to always get better. She’s always after her craft. From the first time she played with us to now, there has been tremendous growth. She has made a huge impact on our team.

“I have to be honest — I didn’t know what to expect when she came up. But Jemiyah has been coachable and she’s been all in. She understood what our mission was, what our goal was. And she just fit right in with us, right from the start.”

McDonald began the season on the JV team. Her last game at the sophomore level was Jan. 12 against Sandburg. That night, an injury on varsity created an opening.

H-F coach Tony Smith put her in the starting lineup for the next game against La Lumiere of Indiana.

“That was a big-time game and we got a big-time win,” Smith said. “She just went in and played hard, played solid.”

McDonald scored three points against La Lumiere as the Vikings won a 63-61 thriller. She came off the bench in two games but otherwise has been in the starting lineup.

“Coach motivated me,” McDonald said. “He called me up, and I knew I had to work hard to stay on varsity and be a starter.

“I was a little nervous in that first game, but everybody kept me motivated and kept telling me to push myself.”

Nobody pushed harder than McDonald against Sandburg.

“That’s the type of kid she is,” Smith said. “She’s a low-maintenance type kid, and she’s not afraid of the lights. She’s not too up for it. She’s not too down. She is even-keeled, and that paid off in this game.

“She’s defending. She’s distributing. It’ll take some growth, but she has a chance to be a top point guard. She has all the tools we’re looking for.”