Girls Basketball: Loyola has little trouble with short-handed Fenwick

Updated: December 2, 2011 8:15AM

Loyola rolled to a 53-32 victory at Fenwick Friday night.

Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker didn’t realize that Fenwick’s Meredith Boardman was not playing Thursday night until just before tip-off.

One of Schoenecker’s players pointed out to the coach that Boardman “was in jeans.”

Without leading scorer and 6-foot-1 Yale-bound Boardman, it was hardly a typical night for No. 11 Fenwick, which played for the first time since winning Niles North’s Somebody’s Hero tournament Nov. 26.

The teams struggled through a sloppy first quarter before Loyola pulled away for a 53-32 nonconference victory at Fenwick. Kathleen Stralka scored nine of her game-high 21 points in the second quarter to lead the Ramblers (4-1).

Fenwick coach Dave Power said Boardman missed the game after breaking a school rule. Power would not comment on Boardman’s status for Fenwick’s next game against Carmel Dec. 7 at home.

Boardman scored 28 points in Fenwick’s tournament-clinching win over Proviso East and has at least 20 or more points in four games this season. The Friars (5-1) entered the game by scoring at least 85 points in each of their last four games.

At halftime against the Ramblers, Fenwick had scored only 11 points.

“We missed her a lot,” Power said of Boardman. “She brings a lot to the table. Anytime you miss her, it hurts.”

Stralka’s nine points in one quarter outscored any of Fenwick’s leading scorers in the game. Niles North tournament MVP Jade Owens and reserve guard Maya Garland had eight points each.

“It was disappointing without Meredith Boardman,” said Stralka, who had 11 points at the half. “You want to beat them when they are at their best.”

The team teams combined to shoot 4 for 27 in the first quarter and totaled 14 turnovers, nine by the Ramblers. The Friars shot 1 of 13 from the floor in the opening quarter and Power substituted his entire starting lineup just three minutes into the game.

Fenwick’s starters combined to score 11 points in the game while three starters were a combined 0-for-14 shooting.

“You were waiting for their run, even if you’re only up 10 or up 12,” Schoenecker said.

After Owens scored the game’s opening basket, Fenwick scored only one more basket in the next 10:46 in the first half. The Friars finished the game shooting 11 of 53 from the floor, 7-of-27 three-pointers.

“We were really cold. That’s going to happen,” Power said. “They spread the floor well and used the entire court.”

© 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.