L-W East Girls Basketball Rides D-Fence to Fifth Straight Regional Title

Lincoln-Way East's ball-pressure defense set the tone in the early going of the Griffins' 61-36 girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way North.

Two words: Ball pressure. Lincoln-Way East’s in-your-face brand of man-to-man defense set the tone in the early going of a 61-36 girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way North. East’s Caitlin McMahon came up with a steal after the Phoenix moved the ball on the perimeter for more than a minute during the opening possession of Thursday night’s Class 4A regional championship game at Lincoln-Way Central. McMahon scored on a layup 11 seconds later. And the Griffins were off and running toward their fifth straight regional championship. “We really took this game very seriously,” Lincoln-Way East coach Jim Martin said. “They’re good. They have 23 wins. Jim (Nair) is a great coach. He’s got great assistants. They do a nice job. I …

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Girls Basketball: L-W North Gets Past L-W Central in Regional

Lincoln-Way North had to be methodical in its 27-14 girls basketball victory over Lincoln-Way Central on Tuesday night in regional semifinal play.

Girls Basketball: L-W North Chops Stagg Down to Size, Gains Share of Title

Taylor Boardman scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Lincoln-Way North's 47-38 girls basketball victory over Stagg on Thursday night. The win enabled the Phoenix to gain a share of the Southwest Suburban Red Conference title.

Graham Adds Punch to L-W North Girls Basketball Front Line

Sophomore Ellen Graham has teamed with senior Taylor Boardman to give the Lincoln-Way North girls basketball team a Twin Towers look under the basket.

Taylor Boardman is tall enough to take over a game by herself. And she has done just that on a number of occasions this season for the Lincoln-Way North girls basketball team. More recently, she has teamed with Ellen Graham to give the Phoenix a Twin Towers look under the basket. Graham, a 6-foot-2 sophomore forward, came up big in a 41-27 victory over district rival Lincoln-Way West on Thursday night in Frankfort. She scored four points—and had at least as many assists. She grabbed five rebounds. And she blocked four shots. She also took some of the pressure off Boardman, a 6-foot senior forward who has grown accustomed to being double-teamed on the blocks and grown more and more appreciative of Graham’s help down low. “She’s added a lot…

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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…

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Girls Basketball: McMahon Sisters Push Stagg Past L-W North

Stagg 40, Lincoln-Way North 37: Revi McMahon worked some telepathic magic with her sister, Casey, in the Chargers' huge road win Tuesday night in Frankfort.

The Skinny: Go ahead, say it out loud. Two McMahons are better than one. Revi McMahon teamed with sister Casey McMahon to lead Stagg in a 40-37 girls basketball victory over Lincoln-Way North on Tuesday night in Frankfort. Revi, a  junior guard, hit the first of two free throws with 12.6 seconds left to snap a 37-37 deadlock. Then, after she missed the second shot, Casey grabbed the rebound. On the ensuing inbounds play, Revi passed the ball back to Casey under the basket for a layup with :08 remaining and the Chargers led 40-37. Lincoln-Way North’s Taylor Boardman missed a desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer. Patch’s MVP: Revi McMahon, 5-5, junior guard, Stagg. She scored seven points and helped the Chargers milk the clock in the …

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Girls Basketball: L-W East Jumps on L-W North in Title Game of Medieval Classic

Lincoln-Way East 48, Lincoln-Way North 33: Taylor Johnson scored 10 of her game-high 17 points in the first quarter as the Griffins raced out in front of the Phoenix and never turned back Thursday in the title game at the Medieval Classic.

The Skinny: Taylor Johnson’s tenacious ball-pressure defense set the tone in the early going of Lincoln-Way East’s 48-33 girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way North. And her outside shooting provided the Griffins with a spark, too, in the championship game of the Medieval Classic on East’s home floor Thursday night in Frankfort. Johnson scored 10 of her game-high 17 points in the first quarter and sank a pair of 3-pointers as the Griffins raced to leads of 9-2 and 18-4. North had more turnovers (9) than shots in the first half (8) and was unable to play its drive-and-kick style of offense because of East’s defensive pressure. Patch’s MVP: Taylor Johnson, senior, guard, Lincoln-Way East. She hit 2-of-4 from 3-point range …

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Weringa Paving the Way for L-W North Girls Basketball

Junior guard Ashley Weringa was instrumental in Lincoln-Way North's 51-16 victory over Richards.

Ashley Weringa was nearly unstoppable for the Lincoln-Way North girls basketball team Tuesday night against Richards. Her 14 points were just two shy of Richards' entire total in the Phoenix's 51-16 victory over the Bulldogs in play at the Oak Lawn Holiday Tournament. "Ashley's been shooting the ball real well for us this year; she's a great leader," Phoenix coach Jim Nair said. Weringa had five rebounds and two steals as well. Her steals were good enough for a share of the team lead, but she was also key in Lincoln-Way North's strong defensive showing in areas that don't make the stat sheets. "I think the key was our defense, and they are very good in the post," Weringa said. "We were able to shut them down." "If we play the same game we …

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Girls Basketball: L-W North Defense Shuts Down Richards Attack

L-W North 51, Richards 16: Ashley Weringa scored 14 points and the Phoenix dominated in all phases to cruise in play at Oak Lawn's Holiday Tournament.

The Skinny: It took more than four and a half minutes for Lincoln-Way North to make its first basket in a 51-16 victory over Richards Tuesday in play at the Oak Lawn Holiday Tournament. Then, Taylor Boardman drained a 3-pointer and the Phoenix never looked back as their defense bottled up Richards. The Bulldogs remained without a basket until the final two minutes of the first quarter. Lincoln-Way North put together a 22-2 scoring run before the Richards went on a 6-0 spurt to close out the first half. Lincoln-Way North sealed the deal with a 22-3 flurry to close the second half. Patch MVP: Ashley Weringa had 14 points, five rebounds and two steals for Lincoln-Way North. Key Stats: The Phoenix made 17-of-50 shots, including 7-of-23 from …

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