Girls basketball: Maine South’s big runs net CSL title over Vernon Hills
An 11-0 run late in the first quarter gave Maine South a 14-10 lead over visiting Vernon Hills as the second frame got underway Wednesday night in the Central Suburban League championship game Wednesday night in Park Ridge.
The Hawks, who struggled on both sides of the ball out of the gates, clawed their way back behind three-pointers from Amelia Fernandez and Addie Kopf, both of which were assisted by junior guard Gianna LaVecchia.
To open the second, LaVecchia snatched an offensive rebound and banked the putback shot home for two. On the ensuing possession, LaVecchia finished at the rim. The next time up the floor, senior forward Emily Currey collected her own miss and found LaVecchia alone for a right-corner triple. Nothing but net.
Runs of 10-0 and 17-0 ballooned Maine South’s advantage to 44-17 at the break, and the Hawks (22-8, 8-2 in the CSL South) coasted to a 68-45 victory in the matchup between the CSL North and South Division winners.
“I believe in this team,” LaVecchia said. “We can definitely go really far because we all have each other’s backs and we just work super hard at practice. So, I think that’s just putting us in a good situation for (the) playoffs.”
A pair of long balls from Cougars (20-7, 9-1 in the CSL North) sophomore Eve Engler allowed Vernon Hills to open up a 10-3 early lead. Engler, who finished the game with six buckets from beyond the arc for a game-high 18 points, showed limitless range in the contest.
As the second quarter wore on, however, defensive pressure and selfless play led to the Hawks finding their rhythm, which proved too much to handle for the Cougars.
“I like defense,” said Maine South coach Emmy Pasier, filling in for head coach Jeff Hamann. “We did not play defense very well in the first two minutes, three minutes. So, we changed it up, we got a little momentum going our way.”
LaVecchia, who tallied 13 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal, delivered a couple of dimes to junior guard Hayden Fahy in the second. Fahy buried each of the open three-pointers, adding to her team-high 14 points.
Fernandez finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds, while junior guard Phoebe O’Shea provided a spark off the bench with 9 points and 3 boards.
The Cougars battled until the final buzzer, with junior Emma Jocson converting on two fourth-quarter three-pointers. Jocson ended the night with 15 points and 3 assists.
“I like how we started the game,” Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said. “If we can start (like) that in the IHSA playoffs, that gives us a leg up. Maine South is a very, very good team. I don’t think they missed for about a four-minute period in the second quarter.”