Girls Basketball: Stagg stops Andrew

Updated: January 24, 2012 10:39PM

A star wasn’t born Tuesday night in Stagg’s 57-49 SouthWest Suburban Red victory over host Andrew. Revi McMahon has been a headliner before.

But a leader? This was quite a coming-out party.

“We’ve had some games earlier in the year when she’s helped us at the end handling the ball,” Stagg coach Bill Turner said. “But I thought tonight, for the first time, she really stepped up and took control of the game.”

Revi McMahon finished with 16 points, Maggie Yandel 11 points and five rebounds and Casey McMahon nine points as Stagg (14-5, 8-1) took sole possession of first place in conference.

Nicole Botich had 21 points and 15 rebounds and Tiana Karopulos 21 points for No. 10 Andrew (13-7, 7-2).

It wasn’t just with points that Revi McMahon beat the Thunderbolts.

Stagg was in the process of fighting back from a 17-11 deficit when she fired off a series of assists that led to four baskets in five possessions. One of the passes, a behind-the-back beauty, resulted in a lay-in by Kara Pietrowski.

The flurry, most of which took place with the 6-foot Botich on Andrew’s bench because of foul trouble, helped the Chargers take a 26-22 halftime advantage.

“Points? I don’t really think about points,” McMahon said. “I like to set my teammates up. Assists mean just as much as points to me.”

Midway through the fourth quarter it was Andrew doing the rallying, climbing out of a 42-36 hole with an 8-2 run, tying the score on a putback by Botich with 3:14 remaining.

That’s when McMahon stepped up again, this time on her own, hitting a stop-and-pop three-pointer. After an Andrew miss, she drove the lane at the other end for a layup to make it 49-44.

“Instinct,” she said. “I don’t know. I just felt I had to take over and help my team.”

Like a leader.

“I do. I feel like one,” McMahon said. “I feel like the seniors taught me how to be a leader. Coming into the season I wasn’t much of a leader, but now I feel like I’m starting to take on more of a leadership role.”

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