Girls Basketball: Top-ranked Young powers past previously-unbeaten Trinity

Updated: December 17, 2011 6:25PM

It took a quarter, but Young played like a top-ranked team at No. 4 Trinity Saturday in River Forest.

The Dolphins scored 15 consecutive points in the second quarter to pull away for a 62-47 victory in a match-up between undefeated teams.

Young (9-0) used a pressure defense while Linnae Harper scored 17 points and had 15 rebounds and Kentucky-bound guard Janee Thompson added 15 points in the Dolphins’ biggest win of the season over an Illinois team.

“We came out and did what we had to do,” Harper said. “We got everyone on the team [involved].”

Seven of Young’s nine players scored in the game. The Dolphins outscored Trinity 25-11 in the second quarter and limited the Blazers (7-1) to one basket in seven minutes, six seconds. Trinity struggled from the floor, shooting 6-of-33 in the first half and 13-of-56 in the game. Trinity made only one of 10 three-point attempts in the first half.

Trinity took its only lead, 6-5, on a three-point play by Megan Podkowa midway through the first quarter and the Blazers tied the game at 9 to end the first quarter on Mikayla Leyden’s three-pointer with 53 seconds to go. The two teams combined to shoot 7-of-29 from the floor in the opening quarter.

Podkowa scored a team-high 15 points and had 13 rebounds while playing in front of future college coach Doug Bruno of DePaul.

Young’s fast pace took Trinity out of the game in the first half. Young led 34-20 at halftime while the Blazers shot just 7-of-14 at the free-throw line in the first half.

“I think we all stared in [amazed at their speed],” Podkowa said. “We didn’t come out to compete as well as we should have.”

Dolphins coach Corry Irvin used Tessa Haldes to defend against Podkowa, Trinity’s leading scorer. Taylor Nazon scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half for the Blazers. After Haldes fouled out in the fourth quarter, Alexis Lloyd guarded Podkowa, who played the final quarter with four fouls.

“Alexis is our best defender, but Tessa is our toughest,” Irvin said. “I thought she would wear down Megan.”

Trinity will try to rebound against No. 11 Fremd at 7 p.m. Monday at home.

“We play Whitney Young every year. We know they’re at the top of the line,” Trinity coach Ed Stritzel said. “We were here to compete against them this year, but I’m disappointed. We didn’t compete today.”

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