Madilyn Patton, Khiara Thomas power Sycamore past Dixon for Class 3A regional title

Seniors Madilyn Patton and Khiara Thomas led Sycamore’s attack with a total of 20 kills as the Spartans defeated Dixon 25-14, 25-16 to capture the Class 3A Sycamore Regional title Thursday night.Second-seeded Sycamore (25-11) moves on to the Crystal Lake Sectional where it will face top-seeded Lakes (28-6) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday.“I really think just the energy and the environment were keys to our win,” said Thomas, who delivered a match-high 11 kills. “It obviously helps being home and having a lot of our friends and family, and the students actually just inspired us to keep playing harder.” Sixth-seeded Dixon finishes the season with an 8-22 record.“We held our own for the most part, but we just couldn’t compete with the speed and the power that they have on that side,” Dixon coach Bunyan Cocar said. “So hats off to them. They’re really a good team.”In Thursday’s first set, the Duchesses tied the Spartans 3-3 on a Payton Cox (four kills) spike. Thomas’ second spike of the