Girls Basketball: Loyd, Niles West roll to regional title
BY MIKE CAMERON Contributor February 20, 2012 5:32PM
2/17/12. Skokie. Niles West's Jewell Loyd catches the inbounds pass in the air and shoots for an easy basket. Niles West defeated Lincoln Park 67-37 to win the Class 4A Niles West Regional. | Tracy Allen~for Sun-Times Media
STANDINGS
CSL South
*Niles West 8-2 22-8
Maine South 7-3 25-6
New Trier 6-4 20-10
Glenbrook S. 5-5 22-7
Evanston 4-6 15-13
Waukegan 0-10 2-23
CSL North
*Maine West 9-1 13-17
Niles North 8-2 17-13
Glenbrook N. 5-5 18-9
Highland Park 5-5 13-12
Deerfield 2-8 6-23
Maine East 1-9 6-19
* — conference champions
(Records through Sunday
Article Extras
Updated: March 24, 2012 8:31AM
Senior superstar Jewell Loyd wore white socks instead of Niles West red in her final home game on Friday, just as she did the very first time she suited up for the Wolves as a freshman.
But Lincoln Park (14-12) saw only a sea of crimson, as the swarming Wolves (22-8) took a ridiculous 61-17 lead with 1:46 remaining in the third quarter and coasted to a 67-37 victory to claim their third straight IHSA Class 4A regional title.
The 5-foot-10 Loyd pumped in a seemingly effortless 23 points in the first 15 minutes, running her career total to 3,046 points. The University of Notre Dame signee briefly returned to the court for a curtain call in the fourth quarter after playing just 18 minutes for the second consecutive game.
“I started with white socks, so I should finish with white socks. But it really hasn’t hit me that that was my last home game,” said Loyd, whose team is riding a five-game winning streak. “This is the playoffs, and we are just focusing on our next game. These rests will help me, and I think we’re starting to get our groove on as a team.”
“It may sound weird because of the score, but that was all Jewell Loyd,” said Lincoln Park head coach Larry Washington. “You game-plan entirely for one player, but then she comes out hot and they get a big lead, and the game plan goes out the window. That all starts with a player of that caliber.”
But it wasn’t just Loyd’s torrid start on the offensive end that derailed a dangerous opponent — one that Niles West defeated by only two points in each of the last two meetings.
Led by junior co-captain Molly Kleppin, the Wolves played pit-bull defense. They picked up speedy senior guards Jasmine Williams (8 points) and Diamond Houston (11) at midcourt — or higher — and kept them in front. Driving to the hoop at will, the duo combined for 39 points in the No. 10 Lions’ 60-59 overtime win over No. 8 Glenbrook North (19-9) three nights earlier.
Washington benched 6-4 Amber Witherspoon, but the reed-thin sophomore was not expected to do much against the hosts’ solid, 5-10 Jackie Cardenas.
“We wanted to shut off their dribble penetration. Molly makes our defense go,” said Niles West head coach Tony Konsewicz. “We played very well. I told the girls to really enjoy the three-peat because you never know what tomorrow will bring.”
While Loyd rested, the Wolves dominated the third quarter 21-4. Sophomore Dashae Shumate went off for eight of her 20 points, and hustling 5-1 freshman Katherine De Lara provided a glimpse of the future with two hoops, two assists, a steal and solid defense and ball-handling. Seniors Cardenas and Liz Troyk each finished with four points, while Kleppin scored eight.
Loyd appears healthy, fresh and dialed-in with her outside shooting after keeping quiet about a slightly sore knee and ankle late in a grueling regular season. She took first in IHSA’s Three-Point Showdown with nine. Niles West senior Janet Iqal, who drained seven, also advanced.
In its regional opener, No. 2 Niles West blanked No. 15 Taft (21-5) 19-0 in the third period of a 53-13 cakewalk on Feb. 14. Loyd scored 11 points in abbreviated play, the day after she was named one of five finalists for the Naismith High School Girls Player of the Year.
For the second time, the state of Illinois drew three nominees, as Bolingbrook senior Morgan Tuck and Whitney Young junior Linnae Harper also were selected.
Niles West was to face No. 3 Glenbrook South (22-7) in a sectional semifinal at New Trier on Tuesday. The Wolves clinched the outright title of the CSL South with a 52-48 overtime win on the Titans’ court Feb. 10. Loyd scored 42 points, including career No. 3,000, in Niles West’s sixth consecutive victory over GBS.
No. 1 Maine South dueled No. 4 Loyola in the other semifinal after the top four seeds all won their regionals. The sectional title game will tip off in Winnetka at 7:30 p.m. today (Thursday).
The sectional winners from New Trier and Palatine meet in the Stevenson Supersectional on Feb. 27, with a Final Four berth on the line.
In the crazy regionals of the Palatine Sectional, No. 1 Fremd, No. 2 Rolling Meadows and No. 3 Libertyville all fell by the wayside. No. 8 Zion-Benton opposed No. 4 Stevenson, and No. 6 Warren was set to hook up with No. 14 Wheeling in the sectional semifinals on Monday.
In the regular season, Niles West split two games with Maine South, lost to Loyola and defeated both Zion-Benton and Stevenson.
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