Cold shooting dooms St. Edward on Senior Night
The St. Edward girls basketball team struggled offensively early and late Friday night.
The Green Wave missed its first 7 shots and scored just 1 point in the final 2:30 as Nazareth held on to beat St. Edward, 53-51, in a nonconference game in Elgin.
"We weren't hitting early," Green Wave coach Michelle Dawson said. "We kind of found our groove and got back into the rhythm of things (to get back into the game)."
St. Edward (10-11), which did not start its normal starting lineup as part of the senior night celebration, trailed 7-0 before Paige Gannon's basket with 3:15 remaining in the first quarter. The Green Wave shot just 3 for 17 in the quarter and trailed 13-6.
Nazareth (5-13) led 20-10 in midway through the second quarter. Trying to find a spark, the Green Wave turned to a full-court press. The Roadrunners struggled to handle the pressure, turning the ball over 5 times in the final 2:30 of the second quarter as the Green Wave got within 5, 24-19, at halftime.
"When we get the press on and get a couple of steals, that gets us going a little bit," Dawson said.
The pressure also helped St. Edward get its first lead late in the third quarter. Nazareth led by 3, 37-34, before back-to-back turnovers in the backcourt, each leading to baskets from Callie Johnson, who finished with 10 points, gave the Green Wave a 38-37 lead with 1:50 remaining in the third.
The lead went back and forth in the fourth. Johnson's offensive rebound and putback with 2:38 left gave St. Edward a 50-48 lead. But that was the last field goal for the Green Wave, who only got a free throw from Maddie Kerr with 1:24 remaining.
Rachel Stec and Nora Masterson each hit a pair a free throws in the final minute to give the Roadrunners a 53-51 lead. They had a chance to put the game away with 6.1 seconds left, but missed a pair of free throws. After a timeout, the Green Wave got a chance to win, but Kerr's 3-pointer went off the rim.
"It definitely is (disappointing)," St. Edward senior Kristi Knott said about losing on senior night. "All the girls played with a ton of heart."
Kerr led St. Edward 16 points. Gannon added 7 points and 11 rebounds.
Masterson's 19 points paced Nazareth. Stec finished with 15. Jane Schiffler added 7 points and 15 rebounds.