Marshall matters: Trinity falls to Commandos

It was a typical game for Marshall’s Adrienne GodBold — a little foul trouble and a whole lot of basketball.

Despite stints on the bench in each of the first three quarters, the Illinois-bound senior and Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year had a double-double to lead the No. 14 Commandos to a 53-40 upset of top-seeded Trinity in the title game of Orr’s Class 3A sectional Thursday night.

After the Blazers (28-4) took an early 5-4 lead, the Commandos, who advance to play No. 10 Montini in the Loyola Supersectional on Monday, scored six in a row.

In each of the first three quarters, reigning state champion Marshall (24-6) saw leads shrink as GodBold (24 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks) went to the bench after picking up fouls. But in the fourth quarter, GodBold stayed on the floor and with classmate Jasmine Poteete, kept Marshall in command.

“I’m exhausted,” said Marshall coach Dorothy Gaters, who qualified for her 25th Elite Eight. “These kids ... I call them the Washington Generals. They do things that boggle the mind.”

“I never thought that we didn’t have a chance to do Downstate again and defend our title,” GodBold said. “We struggled at times during the season, but we never gave up hope.

“The fouls, it’s just impulse. I go for the blocks. I need to slow down sometimes. But we did what we had to do.”

Poteete, who had six points and managed to get to almost every loose ball, provided some stability to an otherwise inexperienced team.

“It's the defense that wins for us,” Poteete said. “We practice that every day and it’s the difference for us.”

Monica Albano finished a brilliant four-year career for No. 5 Trinity with 15 points and Shakyia Vassar scored 12.