Marian Catholic’s first serious challenge of the season was supposed to come Friday night at defending Class 4A champion Bolingbrook.
Tuesday night, Lincoln-Way East begged to differ.
Seriously.
“I don’t even know what to say. It’s amazing,” junior Kelly McGovern offered after the Griffins pulled off a shocking 48-41 opening-night victory in Frankfort.
McGovern had plenty to say with her performance. The 5-foot-7 guard finished with 15 points, while Amanda West (12 points, five rebounds), Theresa Tynski (seven points, four rebounds, four assists) and Taylor Johnson (seven points) all stood out for Lincoln-Way East.
It was Lincoln-Way East’s first-ever victory over Marian Catholic.
“It’s been (Coach Jim) Martin’s dream to beat this team,” McGovern said. “It’s always been close, a loss by a couple of points. Last year we thought we had it, and it got away. This year is a different story.”
A most shocking one, considering the Griffins were trying to replace one of the nation’s premiere post players in 2008-09 SouthtownStar Player of the Year Kersten Magrum.
West, a 6-3 junior, more than held her own as part of a 2-3 zone defense that held Marian Catholic to just three points in the fourth quarter.
“I knew it would be tough (to replace Magrum), but I’ve got great team members here to help me out,” West said. “I like being in the post.”
It was evident early on that the Griffins weren’t going to be intimidated. Johnson, a 5-6 sophomore, fearlessly drove the lane for two first-quarter layups, the second of which put them ahead 12-6.
Lincoln-Way East led 26-24 entering the third period when Marian Catholic caught its only real rhythm of the night, ripping off nine straight points to go up 33-26. But after missing their first eight shots of the quarter, the Griffins scrambled their way back into contention.
It was 38-37 Marian with 5:30 remaining when West buried a 7-foot jumper from the right side for the Griffins. The Spartans would go back in front one more time on two free throws by Law with 3:55 showing, but they would be outscored 9-1 the rest of the way.
All nine points came from the free-throw line, as Lincoln-Way East made steals (eight for the game), controlled the ball and drew fouls. Two Spartans would foul out before all was said and done.
The loss to graduation of Kaila Turner seemed to hurt Marian more than Magrum’s departure from Lincoln-Way East.
“Basketball is a game of performance,” Marian Catholic coach Annie Basic said. “We just didn’t perform. These are great kids, they’ve been working really hard, but this wasn’t the same team that’s been practicing.
“We need to realize what their strategy is, and adjust. We did not adjust. This was our first game without Kaila. Kaila ran the show. And when you don’t have that one person to go to, it’s an adjustment for a team.
“I’ll be excited for everyone to see them in two weeks. These are good kids. They’ll bounce back.”
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