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Girls Basketball: Jewell Loyd passes 3,000-point mark in Niles West win
Jewell Loyd gave her fans two huge thrills Friday.
Loyd’s 42 points pushed visiting Niles West to a 52-48 overtime victory over No. 24 Glenbrook South that secured the outright Central Suburban South championship, and her 30th point was No. 3,000 in her four-year career.
The 5-foot-10 senior reached the milestone with a three-pointer from beyond the key with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter. After scoring five more points in regulation to tie the game at 44-44, Loyd delivered the Wolves’ first seven points in the extra session.
The Notre Dame recruit became only the seventh girl in the state to score 3,000, and the second from the Chicago area after Joliet East’s Pam Gant, who scored 3,205 points from 1977 to ‘81.
“That’s the last thing I was thinking about at the time,” said Loyd after almost singlehandledly bringing the Wolves back from a 10-point halftime deficit. “We wanted conference, and I think we deserved it.“
Niles West (20-8, 8-2) finished a game ahead of No. 16 Maine South (23-6, 7-3), which won last season’s outright conference title.
Glenbrook South (20-7, 5-5) was led by senior guard Colleen McDonagh (16 points), the last of four Titans to foul out. Loyd exploited the hosts’ foul troubles in the second half by repeatedly driving to the hoop.
“I think Jewell is the best player in the state, not just now but in its history,” said Glenbrook South coach Steve Weissenstein. “She changes the game on both ends.”
The Wolves and Loyd won their sixth straight game over the Titans. The teams could meet again in the semifinal round of the Class 4A New Trier Sectional, where they are seeded No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, behind Maine South.
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