Lyons stymies St. Charles East
So much for momentum.
St. Charles East came into Monday’s matchup against Lyons Township at Wheaton North’s Falcon Classic after playing perhaps its best game of the season in a win over Metea Valley.
Lyons entered at the other end of the spectrum, playing one its worst games of the year in an ugly loss to Downers Grove North.
You would have never known it Monday. The Saints missed their first 15 shots from the field and shot just 24 percent for the game. The Lions won virtually every statistical category and never trailed in a 54-36 victory.
“I think they were just cold. I think it was a combination,” Lyons coach Paul Krick said. “I thought our girls wanted to get their last game out of their system. We knew we were a better team than that. They showed up to play.”
Lyons (7-3) capitalized on the cold start, scoring the first 9 points until Amanda Hilton finally put St. Charles East (5-7) on the scoreboard with a free throw with 37 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Saints’ first field goal came at the first quarter buzzer when MacKenzie Meadows chased down a long rebound and swished an 18-footer from the corner.
Kyra Washington and Hilton combined for 3 straight 3-pointers in the second quarter, and Hilton penetrated for another bucket that kept the Saints within 25-18 at halftime.
Meadows drove across the lane and banked in a shot, cutting Lyons’ lead to 30-23 midway through the third quarter. Lyons had not made a 3-pointer up to that point, but Nina Scaramella nailed back-to-back 3s to ignite a 10-0 run and put the Lions ahead 40-23.
The Saints never got closer than 17 points in the fourth quarter.
“It felt like it was one of those games where even if you had a good possession, they came down and scored or came down and drilled a couple 3s right after we had done something good,” Saints coach Lori Drumtra said. “Nothing felt like it was going to swing our way.”
Hilton led the Saints with 17 points. Nobody else had more than 5, while Lyons placed three players in double figures and got 22 points from its bench.
“Amanda tries to do a lot and she does a lot but we need more than Amanda,” Drumtra said. “It was just a rough night for everybody. I have no complaints about the offense. I told them, ‘you are getting good looks, they just didn’t go in.’ You have one of those games.”
St. Charles East played without senior post Hannah Nowling. Drumtra said Nowling won’t play in the remainder of the tournament — which continues for the Saints at noon Thursday against Waubonsie Valley — and couldn’t say at this point when Nowling might return.
The Saints were outrebounded by 10, missing both Nowling’s help on the glass and also her ability to chip in some points.
“We noticed that absence in the first quarter,’ Drumtra said. “We did better as the game wore on with that but the combination of us in the first quarter of giving them the extra shots and us not being able to buy a basket hurt.”
Lyons advances to the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Thursday. The fifth-seeded Lions will play No. 4 West Aurora (10-1).
“We might have a little more height but their athleticism will be a challenge for us,” Krick said of the Blackhawks. “They play hard. That’s what’s great about this tournament, you have to come ready to play against everybody.”