L-W Central gets by Thornwood

Updated: March 23, 2011 2:00PM

NEW LENOX-The scoring of Rachel Post and Amanda Gagliano along with good ball movement and team rebounding earned Lincoln-Way Central a 54-39 quarterfinal victory Monday night over Thornwood in the Class 4A Providence regional.

Post scored a game-high 25 points and Gagliano had 14 points and six rebounds for the Knights, who had lost nine of their last 10 games.

"It was much needed,'' Lincoln-Way Central coach Loren Hess said. "It was nice to see the girls go hard in the regional. We scratched and clawed to get the eight wins we had.''

Post, a junior guard, scored 14 of Lincoln-Way's 18 first-quarter points, including four three-pointers.

"I've never been that hot in a game before,'' Post said. "Every shot just felt effortless. Maybe Monday is my day.''

Lincoln-Way Central (9-17) will face top-seeded Marian Catholic (26-4) at 6 p.m. Tuesday before the second semifinal between host Providence and Richards.

"We've got nothing to lose,'' Hess said of the matchup. "We'll play as hard as we can. Anything can happen.''

Lincoln-Way took charge in the third quarter Monday, outscoring Thornwood 15-9to extend a 26-19 halftime lead to a 41-28 advantage going into the final quarter. Post had seven points in the third period while Gagliano and Kayla Pope each chipped in four third-quarter points.

"It was good to see the girls build on the lead we had at halftime in the third quarter,'' Hess said.

Despite a height disadvantage for Central, five Knights finished with at least five rebounds, led by Kim Rietveld with 9 boards.

Guard Arielle Miree led Thornwood (10-15) with 13 points and center Dorothy Taylor finished with 9 points and 13 rebounds despite first-half foul trouble.

"We're a young team,'' said Thornwood coach Danielle Jania. "We're very inexperienced but we're getting better every year. We'll work hard this summer and take it from there.''

The winners of Tuesday's games will play at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for the regional title. Regional champions from Providence, Crete-Monee, Thornton and Shepard, which includes No. 2 seed Marist, will advance to the Lincoln-Way North Sectional.

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