Task gets tougher for St. Edward in sectional title game
The hill has turned into a mountain for the St. Edward girls basketball team.
When the Green Wave take the floor Thursday night to face Bishop McNamara of Kankakee in the Class 2A Plano sectional championship game, they will be facing one of the premier Class 2A programs in the state. The Fighting Irish, who finished fourth at the state finals last year, will be seeking their sixth straight sectional championship with a senior-laden team that plays one of the toughest 2A schedules in the state.
Members of an East Suburban Catholic Conference that includes the likes of Fenwick, Benet, St. Viator and Carmel, McNamara comes into Thursday's 7:30 p.m. tip-off with an 18-10 record.
McNamara advanced to the title game with a 56-33 win over Peotone on Monday, a game in which the Irish caused Peotone 40 turnovers with a full court 1-3-1 trapping press.
"We'll have to take care of the ball," said St. Edward coach Michelle Dawson. "With their 1-3-1 full court press and all the traps they run, the key will be to keep our turnovers down."
That's something the Green Wave (18-11) have been able to do the first three games of the state tournament trail, in which they have averaged just 15 turnovers per game, and just 10 in the last two.
"Hopefully we'll be able to keep our poise and composure and take care of the ball," Dawson said.
McNamara is led by 6-foot-1 sophomore center Belinda Schaafsma, who scored a career-high 24 points against Peotone. The Irish also get double-digit scoring from 5-6 senior Hillary Olszewski and 5-6 senior Taylor Weight.
St. Edward has gotten the expected steady play from 5-10 senior Katie Yohn through the tournament trail. She's averaged 23 points per game in the state tournament and in Monday's 60-45 win over Chicago Christian became the school's all-time leading scorer. Yohn (23.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 5.1 apg, 4.3 spg, 53 3-pointers) enters tonight's game with 1,790 career points.
But the Wave has also seen steady improvement from everyone in their rotation. Freshman Maddie Kerr (9.1 ppg) stepped up big in the two regional games and freshman Callie Johnson (8.2 ppg) hit for 17 points in Monday's win.
"I think the girls all understand what's riding on this game," said Dawson. "But sometimes the young kids don't feel the pressure as much and they just go out and play."
The teams have one common opponent - Chicago Christian, a team they each beat handily.
The winner Thursday will move on to the Elgin Community College supersectional on Monday against the winner of tonight's Lisle sectional title game between Driscoll and Timothy Christian.