Sports

Girls Basketball: L-W North Stands Tall in Victory Over L-W West

Lincoln-Way North 41, Lincoln-Way West 27: Taylor Boardman and Ellen Graham were dominant forces for the Phoenix in their Southwest Suburban Red girls basketball victory on Thursday night in Frankfort.

The Skinny: Taylor Boardman and Ellen Graham stood tall in Lincoln-Way North’s 41-27 girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way West on Thursday night in Frankfort. The two 6-footers put up a wall on the defensive end, dominated the boards and fed off of one another in an overpowering performance. North scored nine second-chance points and built leads of 20-9 and 23-14 in the first half. West lost 5-7 senior Chelsea Rocha to an injury with 6:50 remaining in the second quarter and could not match the Phoenix on the front line.

Patch’s MVP: Ellen Graham, 6-2, sophomore forward, Lincoln-Way North. Graham came off the bench and sparked the Phoenix on both ends of the floor. She scored four points—and accounted for twice that many more with her passing. She grabbed five rebounds. And she blocked four shots.

Key Moments: Lincoln-Way North went on a 6-0 scoring run to start the second quarter. Elise Lampley capped the run with a rebound putback basket that extended the Phoenix lead to 20-9. Graham’s rebound putback basket pushed the margin to 30-16 with 4:10 left in the third quarter. And her high-low work on a pass to Boardman led to a basket that made it 34-21 early in the fourth quarter.

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Lincoln-Way West Leaders: Alyssa Cappecci (13 points, 6-of-8 free throws, 1 3-pointer), Amanda Hozzian (6 points, 5 rebounds), Brittany Michalski (3 points, 1 3-pointer).

Lincoln-Way North Leaders: Taylor Boardman (15 points, 5-of-10 shooting, 7 rebounds), Ashley Weringa (7 points, 2 3-pointers), Leigh Larocco (5 points), Ellen Graham (4 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocked shots), Elise Lampley (4 points), Stephanie Pearson (4 points).

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Quotable I: “Size was a factor, no question,” Lincoln-Way West coach Ryan White said. “I think we counted nine second-chance points that they got in the first half. We, unfortunately, have to play perfectly in that area. It’s tough on our girls when they’re that much bigger. That hurt us. And, then, Chelsea (Rocha) going down—she’s a little stronger than some of our other post players. She will bang a little bit. But it is what it is. Maggie (Majcher) stepped in and did what she could and did a good job.”

Quotable II: “We tried to get as many subs in and out as we could to keep everyone fresh and keep our defense going,” Lincoln-Way North’s Taylor Boardman said.

Quotable III: “Defensively, our team has been getting stronger as the season goes on,” Lincoln-Way North coach Jim Nair said. “And I really like where we’re at defensively. Offensively, West is physical team. They packed it in a little bit. It taught us to be more patient. I thought we were more patient in the second half and got some good looks.”

Team Records: Lincoln-Way North is 20-5 overall and 10-2 in the Southwest Suburban Red. Lincoln-Way West slipped to 11-12 and 6-6. The Warriors had a three-game win streak snapped.

What’s Next: Lincoln-Way West plays at Thornridge at 6 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 6). Lincoln-Way North faces Thornton at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 6) on its home floor.


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