Davis’ scoring spurt lifts Lyons past Maine West
Lyons junior Ashanti Davis led her team with 13 points Saturday night at Maine West.
But it was the 7 in a row that she scored in one minute late in the third quarter that propelled the Lions to a 49-40 victory in the nonconference game.
With her team trailing 25-24, Davis put the visitors ahead for good at 27-25 with a 3-pointer.
The 5-foot-11 guard then came up with back-to-back steals and layups to give Lyons (16-8) a 31-25 cushion heading into the final quarter.
The Warriors (11-16) never got closer than 3 points the rest of the way.
“It was a pretty low-energy game,” said Lyons coach Katie Meyers. “What turned it around for us was that critical 3-pointer by Ashanti. That shifted the momentum.”
Senior Amanda Hoye tried to shift the momentum back to West as she drove hard to the basket for a layup and then made a free throw to complete the 3-point play. That got West to within 33-30 with 7:10 left in the game.
With 3:45 left, Hoye broke free for a layup to make it 35-32.
However, Lyons senior guard Colleen Connors hit a big 3-pointer from the baseline to extend the lead back to 6 points (38-32) for the visitors with 3:26 left.
“That 3-pointer hurt,” said Maine West coach Derril Kipp. “But missed free throws (10-of-20) and layups really cost us the game. We got the shots we wanted but they just didn’t go in.”
Hoye and sophomore Brittany Collins (16 rebounds) led the Warriors with 15 points apiece.
Hoye had a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter when West led 12-11.
“Obviously No. 10 (Hoye) and 30 (Collins) are their go-to players,” Meyers said. “So we decided to zero in on them and it paid off.”
Alexia Prosperi (5 rebounds) and Megan John were West’s next highest scorers with 4 points apiece while Ashley Collins (8 rebounds) tossed in a bucket in the third quarter.
“It was our own offensive production that hurt us,” Kipp said. “We didn’t score enough points.
“We were a little flat from last night (when the Warriors clinched at least a tie for the Central Suburban North with an overtime win over Niles North). And we were overwhelmed with the physical play of this game.”
Hoye, who had 2 assists, echoed those comments.
“There were definitely a lot more physical,” she said. “That’s always been a problem for us but I think we’ve been doing a lot better job with it this season than the last few years.”
Connors also reached double for Lyons with 10 points while sophomore Kayla Morrisey added 9.
“Derril Kipp does a good job with his talent and he gets the most out of his girls,” Meyer added. “So I give Maine West a lot of credit. He’s a great coach.
“Overall, I was pleased with the win but I didn’t think we played to our potential. I know our girls have more in them and I would like to see that the next few weeks.”
Next week, Maine West tries to win the CSL North title outright when it hosts Glenbrook North on Friday for senior night.
“We can’t get too confident,” Hoye said. “And hopefully we can come out and finish up (the regular season) with a win.”
Marian Catholic 62, St. Viator 43: Megan Walsh (15 points, 6 rebounds, 7 steals) led Marian Catholic (17-11, 5-2) in the ESCC win in Chicago over the Lions (17-13, 3-6).