St. Viator quick back on winning track
After having an eight-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night in Chicago, it didn't take St. Viator's girls basketball team long to get back on the winning path.
Twenty four hours later, the Lions were back in the northwest suburbs and posting a 55-35 nonconference win at Buffalo Grove.
The Lions (16-7) and Bison (5-20) went back and forth in the first quarter, which ended at 9-9.
But junior Carrie Leazer (8 points), recently back from a knee injury, rebounded her own shot and put it back for a layup and the Lions never trailed again.
Leazer's former teammate at St. Raymond in Mt. Prospect, classmate Natalie Krause, proceeded to display what's been doing since those middle school days.
The 5-foot-7 guard hit back-to-back 3 pointers and senior Olivia Solimene hit a third one to allow Viator to pull away to a 20-9 advantage.
"When Natalie heats up and gets going, she's tough from out there," said Lions coach Jason Raymond. "She's got such a sweet stroke and pure shot. And she gets it off quickly."
"This game was a good turnaround from the night before (a 63-37 loss at Marist)," said Krause, who also runs cross country and plays soccer. "I think we came out with a lot more energy. This really gives us confidence going into Saturday's game (at Wheeling)."
Junior Sam Hansen's 17-footer stalled the Lions' 11-0 run to start the second quarter but Solimene followed with a big drive to the basket and dished off a nifty bounce pass to Myia Clark, who converted the layup for the 22-11 lead.
Clark led the Lions with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists.
Krause also reached double figures with 11 points and three 3-pointers. She also grabbed 3 rebounds, including one for a putback.
"With Olivia (Solimene, who had 5 assists and 2 steals) and Myia attacking the basket, they know where to find Natalie on the perimeter," Raymond said. "I think one Natalie's biggest strengths is her ability to find the open spot on the perimeter. She really floats into the open area a lot.
"She works hard at shooting, too. Last weekend, we had feeder games on a Sunday and she's out there working on her shot."
BG was led by sophomore Kendra Lee's 11 points while sophomore Macy Floro and junior Heide Schmit each had 3-pointers.
Lee had 6 of the Bison's 9 points in the opening period.
"We got off to a good start," said BG coach Steve Kolodziej. "I've been really happy in 2018 with our defensive effort. We've been tough.
"We just lost some players in transition (in the second quarter) and they knocked down some 3s that really opened up the game. And against a team like St. Viator with Clark (Saint Louis recruit) and Solimene (DePauw recruit), you can't get too far behind. We were chasing the rest of the night."
The Lions led 24-11 at intermission and then came out with three straight baskets from senior guard Michaela Mueller (8 points) for a 30-11 lead.
Raymond also got points off the bench from Grace Sexton,, Payton McDonnell and Katie Krzoska.
"The girls really responded from last night's performance," Raymond said. "We were a little down leaving Marist. We played a great team but I don't think we played our best basketball. The girls knew they didn't play their best basketball, especially on the defensive end.
"I expected nothing else than this response tonight. I thought the defense was excellent and we executed well on offense."
Kolodziej also got points from underclassmen Megan Fontanetta, Alyssa Ramos, Zori Angelova, Sydney Fortman and Jackie Lavigne.
"Buffalo Grove is a scrappy team," Raymond said. "They've lost a lot of close games. I don't think their record is indicative of the type of team they are. They play hard are well coached. It was nice to be able to bounce back tonight against a team like Buffalo Grove, especially after the disappointment at Marist."
"This was good," Clark added. "We didn't want to go on a losing streak. It was nice that we picked ourselves right back up this game."
BG comes right back today for a Mid-Suburban League match at Prospect.
"We're struggling offensively to make shots," Kolodziej said. "We are working so hard defensively and we're not rewarding ourselves with the easy stuff.
"I'm optimistic about where we are at. I keep telling the kids there is no doubt we are getting better and the most important part of the season is coming. We've got a regional at home so we're just hoping to improve the next four games and make a little bit of a run here."