St. Edward roars into Lisle championship

The St. Edward girls basketball team was dominant in all aspects of the game Thursday night.

The Green Wave (12-3) defeated Joliet West 66-39 in the semifinal round of the annual Holiday Cage Tournament at Lisle High School.

It marks the first time that St. Edward has made it to the finals in its eighth appearance in the tournament. The Wave will face Timothy Christian for the title at 8 p.m. Friday.

The Wave kept its lead comfortable throughout the entire game and was especially good defensively in the second half, only allowing 4 points in the fourth quarter to maintain a consistent 20-point lead. St. Edward coach Michelle Dawson, whose week-old baby boy Nathan was on hand to watch the victory, was particularly pleased with the way her team controlled the boards in the second half.

“It was our focus coming into the game to stop their penetration into the paint and own the boards, and I think we did a great job of it,” said Dawson.

“I just really worked hard to get around them and get the rebound,” said St. Edwad senior center Alexandria Lee. “It was good to have the height advantage, but I just got around to the ball faster than they did.”

Lee led the Wave with 14 points, while junior guard Rena Ranallo put up 12 and senior guard Callie Johnson notched 11.

The Wave had the lead the entire game, but as the Tigers trailed by 11 just before the half, Joliet West junior guard Khadija Cooley put up a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 8 points.

That’s as close as the Tigers got, though. Johnson put up a basket to give the Wave a 10-point lead heading into halftime.

Johnson restored the lead to 20 points by hitting a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer.

Lee is especially glad to get to the championship game in the tournament, as she missed the entire tournament last year with a broken finger.

“This year, being a senior, it means a lot to me,” she said. “I really want to go for it.”