Girls Basketball: New Trier outlasts Evanston

Updated: December 28, 2011 3:24PM

New Trier isn’t known for its physicality, but the Trevians demonstrated plenty of toughness Tuesday against a bigger Evanston squad.

Maggie Lyon played another excellent all-around game and senior center Jessica Blackwell was a rock defensively as New Trier defeated the Wildkits 65-47 in the quarterfinals of the Dundee-Crown Charger Classic. The Trevians will play Fenwick Wednesday in a rematch of last year’s semifinal.

“We came in and said we had to attack their pressure and we had to rebound,” New Trier coach Teri Rodgers. “I thought we did a good job of both those.”

The Trevians (11-2) handled Evanston’s press as Lyon scored 22 points to go with seven steals, five rebounds and two assists. Six of Lyon’s steals came in the first quarter and the Northwestern recruit was responsible for getting Evanston’s 6-1 power forward Sinclair Cunningham in foul trouble.

Cunningham had seven points and four rebounds in the first quarter and gave the Wildkits (8-7) a 21-20 lead with a three-pointer with 3:15 left in the second quarter, but picked up her third foul soon after.

“She had foul trouble, so it could be a different game if she didn’t get in foul trouble, but I think we did a god job of attacking her,” Rodgers said. “I was really pleased with that.”

The Trevians outscored Evanston 22-9 in the third quarter to take a 53-32 lead. Cunningham picked up her fourth foul in the opening minute of the period and was ineffective after she checked back in three minutes later. She finished with 10 points and six boards but was shut out in the second half.

“One of our keys is to box out on the boards,” Blackwell said. “It was a battle, for sure, so we just wanted to outrebound them, limit their numbers.”

Blackwell personified that gritty effort, scoring six of her eight points in the third quarter, including a putback after Cunningham blocked her shot and a rebound bucket off a missed trey by Meg Rosinski.

“I think the rebounds just landed in my hands,” said Blackwell, who had five rebounds. “I didn’t really get the ball that much in the first half. I was just focusing more on defense and boxing out, so I think the shot went into my hands and I just went up with it.”

Rodgers agreed that Blackwell was being modest in that assessment.

“We felt that we would get some offensive rebounds and so Jessica did a great job of doing that,” Rodgers said. “You know they’re going to focus a lot on Maggie and we talk a lot about when a team focuses on Maggie a lot of other people are going to be open.”

One of those open players was Rosinski, who scored seven of her 11 points in the second half and also had three steals. Forwards Emma Rossi and Colleen McConnell added six points apiece on a combined 5 of 8 shooting.

Sierra Clayborn and Sierra Brown both scored nine points and 6-2 center Alecia Cooley had eight for Evanston, which gets another crack at the Trevians on Jan. 6.

“We’re not on their level right now,” Evanston coach Elliot Whitefield said. “They executed, they play hard, they play together.

“When we’re turning the ball over on the perimeter, we can’t get the ball inside. You can’t beat a New Trier or any of these top-rated teams throwing the ball away 15 times.”

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