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Girls Basketball: Marist edges out Mother McAuley
Mary Beth Nolan~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: January 9, 2012 10:04PM
Marist senior Asianna Bey was the chairwoman of the boards in Monday night’s “Battle of Mount Greenwood” against Mother McAuley with 14 rebounds.
Her last was the ultimate difference-maker in the No. 3 RedHawks’ 58-53 victory.
Marist was clinging to a 56-53 lead with 49 seconds remaining when the RedHawks’ Claire Ryan missed a free throw.
A mad scramble for the rebound ensued, with Bey taking the ball away from two McAuley defenders, spinning and tossing in a three-footer while being fouled.
“I was just looking for the ball. I knew we had to get it so they wouldn’t have a chance to get a shot,” Bey said. “I knew they would foul, so I just threw the ball up there.”
It would be the final two points of the game.
Bey finished with 12 points, while JeTaun Rouse (13 points), Leah Bolton (13) and Ryan (11) paced a balanced offense for Marist (17-0).
No. 8 McAuley (11-7) was led by Alyssa Siwek (22 points) and Elizabeth Nye (11).
The Mighty Macs stunned Marist in the early going with a bevy of three-pointers in racing to a 17-4 lead. They would nail eight in all in the first half, emerging with a 32-27 advantage.
The climate would dramatically change in the third period.
“Coach (Mary Pat Connolly) told us we had to pick it up on defense,” Bey said. “She told us to guard tight around the perimeter. The zone wasn’t working, so we switched to a man.”
It proved effective, as McAuley shot just 2-of-15 in the third period. Marist, with Bey pumping in eight points and dominating underneath, opened with a 19-2 run and built a double-digit lead.
The Macs regained their form in the final period and drew to within 56-53 with two minutes left on a trey by Siwek. It would be their last hurrah.
“The third quarter killed us, but I thought we did a great job and our kids played hard,” McAuley coach Karen Ade said. “We’re going to meet them again in sectionals.
“It was the same thing as Hillcrest. We had a couple of missed layups here and missed layups there. We put four quarters together, we can beat pretty much who we want.”
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