Girls basketball: Hersey gives favorite teachers plenty to cheer about
Prior to Friday night's girls basketball game at Hersey, the Huskies honored some of their favorite teachers on staff appreciation night.
Moments later, the Hersey fans were appreciating the play of their Huskies (13-7, 4-1) who led from start to finish in a 44-19 Mid-Suburban East victory over visiting Rolling Meadows (13-6, 3-2).
"You always worry if you're going to come out focused when you have distractions like that but we came out ready to go," said Hersey coach Courtney Ludois. "Our defense was phenomenal. Everyone out there was phenomenal on defense."
The defense allowed just 2 baskets in the first half.
Two short jumpers by junior guard Kate Donovan, one off a steal and assist from Grace Grabowy, put Hersey in front 4-0 with 5:23 left in the opening quarter.
Junior Abby Ramel's 6-footer got RM to within 4-2 but the Huskies answered with a fastbreak layup by freshman Etta Fischer off an assist from sophomore Emily Hany, and Donovan's 3-pointer from the baseline for a 9-2 cushion with 1:15 left.
After Meadows called a timeout, the host's junior Jillian Wandler took a pass from senior Kiki Craft and converted a 12-foot bank shot to give Hersey an 11-2 lead after one period.
"We missed a lot of layups to start the game but we kept telling them to trust the process, keep doing what they were doing, and eventually we started fishing," Ludois said. "I'm really proud of our focus and our fight and how we came out to start the game."
After a pair of free throws from Ramel, Hersey senior Maddy Drury connected on a 17-footer on the baseline for a 13-4 lead.
Hersey kept the pressure on in the second quarter, holding the Mustangs to just a 3-pointer by Anna Andriano which made it 19-7 at intermission.
"Defense has kind of been our MO all season," Ludois said. "And that needs to be there for us to be successful. So many kids stepped up on defense. Kiki Craft on their shooter, Grace Grabowy and Maddy Drury split time on No. 15 (Abby Ramel) and then our point guards Kate Donovan and Emily Hany really pushed the tempo which I think was a really big part of our win, too."
Donovan led the Huskies with 13 points and 3 assists while sophomore Sadie Marks added 9 points and 5 rebounds. Drury, freshman Ellie Molster and Kraft each chipped in 4 points.
"It was really fun and motivating to have some of your teachers who only know you at school come out and watch you play," Donovan said. "And I think that helped us a lot with momentum."
Drury (17-footer from the baseline), Mollster (big driving layup), Craft (putback and a fastbreak layup) accounted for Hersey's 8 points in the second quarter.
The hosts hardly let up in the third quarter, coming out with a 3-pointer by Grabowy, a layup by Marks, and 3-point play by Donavan for a 27-7 lead with 6:45 left.
Hersey led 33-14 after three quarters, getting its final points off a 12-foot fade-away jumper by Donovan for her 13th point of the night.
The win kept the Huskies just one game behind Prospect (5-0) in the East standings heading into the second round of divisional play next week.
"Obviously we want to go just one game at a time," Donovan said. "In any conference game you can get upset. So that's what makes it fun playing."
The Huskies were having fun on Friday as nine different players scored at least 2 points.
"We told them before the game that if they wanted any chance at winning the MSL East that they had to win every single game," Ludois said. "So we took the first step today."
Ramel, a 5-foot-11 junior forward, led the Mustangs with 10 points.
"It was definitely not our night," said Meadows coach Ryan Kirkorsky, who was without sophomore starter Iris Jordan (foot injury). "A lot of that had to do with Hersey's intensity and defense which forced us into a lot of mistakes. So you've got to give credit to them for being ready to play. We didn't execute enough or get good enough shots.
"There is nothing we can do except get back to work tomorrow. We've got a game Monday (Larkin at home). Obviously, we have a lot of work to do for the second half of the season but there is a lot of basketball left."