Devils' 'Dia' has her day
D'Anequa Taylor's forte is "D," naturally.
Sometimes, however, she can be "Oh, D'Anequa Taylor" - as in, "Oh, no."
" 'Dia' kind of plays hot and cold," Warren basketball coach John Stanczykiewicz said of his 5-foot-1 senior guard. " 'Dia' was hot tonight."
"Dia" was delightful. And the Blue Devils needed her to be against Stevenson on Thursday night since starting guard Alexis Leneau was sidelined with what Stanczykiewicz said is an injury to either her hip or back.
Taking advantage of extra minutes, Taylor totaled 6 steals, 8 points and 3 assists coming off the bench, as the Blue Devils edged host Stevenson for the second time in 12 days, winning this time 42-36 in North Suburban Lake Division play.
"I thought I had to step up playing in Alexis' spot and get the team pumped," Taylor said.
Warren (11-15, 7-4) had lost three straight games since edging Stevenson 28-25 on Jan. 24, when Leneau sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The freshman got hurt in Tuesday's loss to Antioch and Stanczykiewicz said she is expected to see her doctor today to get her injury further diagnosed.
"That was a big loss for us because she plays 28 minutes and she's a good athlete," Stanczykiewicz said. "But if we keep getting performances like this from everyone else, we'll be fine. I was happy with our effort today."
Joree Green was the Blue Devils' only player to score in double figures, as she hit for 13 points. Morgan Garrett added 7 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
After Stevenson (10-15, 3-8) pulled within 38-36 on a bucket by recent call-up Olivia Whalen with 37 seconds left, Warren got 2 free throws apiece from Taylor and Garrett with 24.7 and 16.4 seconds remaining, respectively.
Taylor came up with 2 steals in the final 21/2 minutes.
"I just watch players' eyes," Taylor said of her defensive prowess. "When I see them trying to pass the ball, I try to jump in front."
Taylor also sank a pull-up jumper in the fourth.
"Something just happens to players sometimes," Stanczykiewicz said. "I think she was really focused defensively, and I think if you talked to her she would say she knew that the team depended on her.
"The nice thing," Stanczykiewicz added, comparing Taylor to Leneau, "is that athletically you certainly don't lose anything. Dia's one of the best athletes on the team and possibly one of the best athletes in the conference, right up there with (Lake Zurich's) Olivia Allen."
Kayla Fisher, another good athlete, and Michelle O'Brien each had 13 points for Stevenson. Fisher also had 5 steals, while O'Brien grabbed 6 rebounds. Kelsey Simon had 6 rebounds and 5 blocks for the Patriots, who visit Lake Zurich tonight in a game that was originally scheduled for Saturday.
Libertyville 48, Grayslake Central 38: Kristy Williams scored 20 points for the host Wildcats in the nonconference game.
Maka Stewart added 12 points for Libertyville (17-9).
Grayslake Central (13-10) received 10 points apiece from Alison Metzger, Katelynn Putkonen and recent callup Skyler Jessop.
Wauconda 57, Harvard 28: Erin Hellweg had her first varsity double-double, recording team highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs in the nonconference road game.
Wauconda (19-3) also got a big game from Kate Martino, who had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists. Tammy Ellis chipped in 7 points and 7 steals.
Round Lake 55, Lake Forest 47: Ashley Miller scored 16 points and Amber Phillips added 12, as the Panthers earned a win over a North Suburban Lake Division team in the conference crossover.
Labrenthia Murdock added 9 points for host Round Lake (21-3), which led 19-6 after one quarter and 29-15 at halftime.
Lake Forest was led in scoring by Maggie Burke and Jamee Jacobson with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Jacobson hit three 3-pointers.
Grant 46, North Chicago 36: Amber Potts scored 12 points for the Bulldogs in the North Suburban Prairie game.
Grant (15-10, 6-5) got a pair of 3-pointers from both Potts and Gina Cellucci (8 points).
Shavon Dixon had 16 points and four 3-pointers for North Chicago.
Vernon Hills 57, Maine East 39: Mallory Feece had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals for the visiting Cougars, who won their fourth in a row.
Sarah Krippinger had 10 points for Vernon Hills (13-13), while Jamie Rucks grabbed 8 rebounds.
Carmel 32, Waukegan 21: Tiffany Hendrickson scored 14 points and Lauren Lehocky added 10 for the host Corsairs in the nonconference game.
Carmel (16-9) didn't allow more than 6 points in any quarter.
Carmel 41, Providence 27: In New Lenox on Wednesday night, Lauren Lehocky scored 13 points, as the Corsairs improved to 15-9 overall and 4-4 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. Tiffany Hendrickson and Kristine Ruhl added 8 points apiece.