Stevenson claims Tip-Off title
For three-year girls varsity basketball player Michelle O'Brien and her Stevenson teammates, there had been no championships in regular or postseason tournaments.
But that all changed Saturday at the Maine West Tip-Off Classic.
With tourney co-Most Valuable Player O'Brien scoring 20 points, Stevenson won the Tip-Classic with a 48-35 triumph over Hersey and a 5-0 record.
"If Michelle wasn't an MVP of this tournament, I don't know who was," said first-year Patriots coach Tom Dineen, who earned Hall of Fame status while coaching 29 seasons at Buffalo Grove. "She went out and got after the basketball (10 rebounds, 5 steals).
"This is the first championship of any kind for these kids so I'm very happy for them. They have worked very had for this."
O'Brien, who shared the tourney MVP honors with Hersey junior Megan Rogowski, was thrilled with the title.
"It's unexplainable, so awesome," she said. "We knew Hersey (4-3, 4-1 in the tourney) was a good team. I knew that rebounding would be the key and I would have to be aggressive on the boards."
A 3-pointer by Julia Fredian brought Hersey to within 7-6 but Stevenson (5-2) took control with a 10-run.
The rally included baskets from McKinley Imus (3 steals), Kelsey Simon (12 points, 7 rebounds), Anna Morrissey (6 rebounds), Kari Moffat and another by Simon before Rogowski hit a driving 8-footer over two defenders with 59 seconds in the first quarter.
O'Brien came back with a nifty baseline spinning move for the final bucket of the quarter which made it 19-8.
Hersey's next best run would be to start the second half when senior forward Maddie Swan scored the first 6 points on a driving bank shot and back-to-back putbacks, cutting the lead to 28-21.
But Hersey (4-3) never got closer.
Swan led the Huskies with 12 points while Rogowski added 11.
"I thought McKinley Imus's defense on Rogowski was outstanding," Dineen added. "She (Imus) gave a great effort on both ends of the court."
Swan grabbed 7 rebounds while Rogowski had 5 and Eileen Zydek 3.
"I thought Stevenson came out and did everything it needed to win," Swan said.
"Maddie has been doing a nice job for us," said Huskies coach Mary Fendley. "She is catching the basketball and making the shot. That makes a big difference when she does that. I also thought Eileen Zydek and Andrea Perkins did a nice job for us. "
Swan was a second-team all-tourney selection and Rogowski was on the first team.
O'Brien and Moffat (freshman guard) were first-team selections for Stevenson while Simon and Morrissey were voted on to the second team.
"Give credit to Stevenson," Fendley said. "We just couldn't get anything going. They had a nice game plan and they kept us from doing what we wanted. They are deserving champions."
Dineen, known for his trademark sweaters at Buffalo Grove, wore his first green one on Saturday.
It proved to be a winning color.
"We're getting better," he said. "The girls are learning how to win. I'm very happy for them."