A dominating title for Green Wave
It wasn't supposed to be this easy.
St. Edward's girls basketball team came into this week's Class 2A Aurora Christian regional on the heels of a four-game losing streak, one in which they had allowed an alarming 80 points per game.
But Seneca and Ottawa Marquette are not Driscoll, Montini, Rosary and St. Francis, the four teams that sent St. Edward into regional play with an air of doubt about its future.
Wonder no more.
Using a stifling team defense and, for the second night in a row, an offense involving more than just the star, the third-seeded Green Wave rolled over top-seeded Ottawa Marquette 60-44 Thursday night to win the 13th regional championship in program history and first since they advanced Downstate in 2007.
St. Edward (17-11) will take on Chicago Christian Monday at 8 p.m. in the Plano sectional. Chicago Christian won its own regional Thursday, beating CICS Longwood 60-26.
"We just told our girls before the game that with all our experiences this season and with everything we've seen (Ottawa Marquette) wasn't going to throw anything at us we hadn't seen," said St. Edward coach Michelle Dawson.
So when the Crusaders (21-7) came out in an old fashioned box-and-one defense on St. Edward senior Katie Yohn, it was time for the Green Wave to do some old fashioned picking and rolling, and by executing with near perfection in the first half they rolled to a 34-13 lead at the break.
"I was just looking to screen and roll for (Yohn) because when I do that I know she's looking for me," said St. Edward freshman Maddie Kerr, who scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half and all 6 of her baskets, 4 of which came from Yohn assists.
"I was nervous at first tonight but Katie helps me out a lot talking to me and I have great coaches who help me out."
The win was really never in doubt after the Wave established a 15-3 lead after a basket by freshman Callie Johnson (8 points) with 2:27 left in the first quarter. While Ottawa Marquette did make a comeback of sorts in the second half behind junior Bailie Bongartz (15 points), the St. Edward lead, which was 25 points at its peak, never sunk under 14 points.
Yohn led the way again for St. Edward, scoring 22 points. That brings her within 8 points of tying Beth Hasenmiller's school career record of 1,772 - something not even discussed with Yohn after the two regional wins.
"Maddie was awesome tonight," Yohn said of Kerr, deflecting the credit to her teammates as usual. "She played her best game. She did a great job rebounding and her shot was on. She played a great all around game."
Yohn said the box-and-one was no big deal, especially considering who guards her in practice -assistant coach Stacey Wahlberg, one of the toughest defenders to ever play at St. Edward.
"We've been working really hard on (the box-and-one)," Yohn said. "Stacey guards me and she's a really tough defender. I pass the ball to my teammates and they pass it back to me. Everybody really stepped up tonight and we accomplished one of our goals."
The Green Wave, who shot 19 of 40 for the night, also got a boost off the bench from junior Kristi Knott, who scored 5 points and grabbed 3 rebounds, as well as the usual steady floor game from sophomore Enza Ranallo. Yohn, in her usual style, added 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals to her 22 points.
"I saw the fire in their eyes before the game tonight," Dawson said. "They knew what they had to do to win the game and they came out and did it."
And brought home the regional championship plaque to prove it.