Girls Basketball: Oak Forest makes stop after big regional win

Updated: February 20, 2012 8:30PM

When you’re a Bengal, you don’t get left behind.

Oak Forest senior captain Lynn Nagle was at home Thursday recovering from knee surgery, but she was very much a part of the team before and after a 46-43 Class 3A Evergreen Park Regional victory over Rich South.

Before the game, Nagle spoke to the team via a speaker phone. On the way back to school, the team made a special stop.

“We drove the bus to her house and presented the regional trophy for her to keep overnight,” Oak Forest coach Steve Schanz said. “She was excited, switching between laughter and tears, because obviously she had wanted to be there for the team. It was a great feeling. I was very happy that we were able to do that for her.”

Nagle tore the ACL and meniscus in her left knee during a summer game but postponed surgery in order to start the season with the Bengals.

“She knew she wasn’t going to play in college,” Schanz said. “That’s why she pushed it this year, to give it one last go. She made it through 10 games for us.”

No. 8 Oak Forest’s challenge in Tuesday night’s Hillcrest Sectional is a big one: the No. 2 host Hawks (24-3).

It will be a rematch of a Feb. 2 meeting in which Hillcrest prevailed 65-44 behind 18 points from Shannise Heady and 14 from Samirah Ali.

“We’re certainly going to enjoy the experience,” Schanz said of his Bengals (18-10). “Nobody in this group has ever played in a sectional. If we go in composed and as underdogs with not a lot of pressure on our shoulders, I think we can do real well.”

Senior Courtney Kachlik was the biggest Bengals surprise in the Rich South game, scoring 16 points.

“And she was 7-for-7 from the field,” Schanz said. “One of the things we tried to take advantage of in the Rich South game was to get the ball inside, and she was just ready to step up.

“It’s a great story for all the girls who work their tails off and not a ton to show for it, then all of a sudden they have that opportunity and they step forward and do it.”

The other sectional semifinal at Hillcrest features No. 7 Rich Central (11-19) vs. No. 6 Morgan Park (21-8).

In the Class 4A Sandburg Sectional, No. 3 Homewood-Flossmoor (23-6) and No. 4 Lincoln-Way East (25-4) will meet for the third time this season. East captured the first meeting 47-40 on Dec. 15, with H-F, behind 13 points and 10 rebounds by Amena Brent, winning 50-45 on Jan. 26.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.