Girls Basketball: Rouse, Marist Put the Hurt on L-W East in Sectional Final

Marist 52, Lincoln-Way East 32: JeTaun Rouse scored 10 of her game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter as the RedHawks won their first sectional title since 2008.

The Skinny: Marist’s JeTaun Rouse played with a sore knee. She delivered a performance that left Lincoln-Way East feeling the pain of what might have been in a 52-32 RedHawk victory in the championship game of the Class 4A Sandburg Sectional. Rouse scored 10 of her game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter on Thursday night as the RedHawks won their first sectional title since 2008. She poured in seven straight points in a personal highlight reel-like surge that included a 3-pointer from just in front of the Marist student body and two straight steals that she turned into layups. The RedHawks used a 1-3-1 defense to prevent Lincoln-Way East from penetrating the lane and crashed the boards on offense to generate second-chance points. Patch’…

•  2 Comments
• Videos (1)

Ron Kremer

1:58 pm on Friday, February 24, 2012

No question, Marist has a very athletic group. Is there a way to slow the RedHawks down? Or are they destined to play for the Class 4A state championship? What do you think?   more ›

L-Way East and North Make Our Top 5, Face Off Tonight

Top-ranked Marist had no trouble in the opening round of postseason play. Lincoln-Way East, Homewood-Flossmoor, Marian Catholic and Lincoln-Way North also advanced to regional finals.

1. Marist (29-1): Nothing to it. Marist opened postseason play with a name-that-score kind of victory, rolling past Thornton 80-27. Next up: The RedHawks will face Thornton Fractional North at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Class 4A Marist Regional final. 2. Lincoln-Way East (24-4): Caitlin McMahon (21 points, 7 rebounds) and Taylor Johnson (16 points, 7 steals) powered the Griffins to a 70-24 regional semifinal victory over Crete-Monee. Next up: Lincoln-Way East faces district rival Lincoln-Way North in the Class 4A Lincoln-Way Central regional final at 7:30 tonight. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (21-7): Charnelle Reed’s knee injury raises questions of whether the Vikings will get out of the Class 4A Stagg Regional. H-F defeated Thornton Fractional …

• Photos (1)

L-Way East Girls Basketball Patch's No. 2 as Season Ends

Lincoln-Way East will conclude regular-season play tonight at second in the weekly Patch Power Rankings for girls basketball. See who else made our list.

1. Marist (28-1): How ready are the RedHawks for postseason play? They went into Wednesday night’s game vs. Fenwick with a 378-161 scoring edge over their East Suburban Catholic Conference rivals. Four Marist players ranked in the top 15 in conference scoring—JeTaun Rouse (4th), Leah Bolton (9th), Asiana Bey (14th) and Claire Ryan (15th). 2. Lincoln-Way East (23-3): Taylor Johnson and Caitlin McMahon were up to their old tricks in a 52-35 victory over Lockport. Johnson scored 23 points. McMahon added 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Griffins conclude the regular season with a game at Bolingbrook Thursday. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (19-7): Danielle Woolfork scored 17 points in a 57-29 victory over Lincoln-Way Central. Amena Brent chipped in with …

• Photos (1)

McMahon Keeps L-Way East Girls in Patch's Hot 5

Our weekly Southland girls basketball rankings, plus this week's question: Would you rank Homewood-Flossmoor over Lincoln-Way East?

1. Marist (26-1): That fine line between fast and too fast? The RedHawks are close to solving it. They’ve been wreaking havoc with their fastbreak attack. JeTaun Rouse (17 points, 6 steals, 3 assists) and Leah Bolton (16 points, 5 rebounds) were on top of their game in a 54-41 victory over Maine South in the Sweet 16 Tournament. 2. Lincoln-Way East (21-3): Better late than never? Caitlin McMahon came alive in the second half of the Griffins’ 51-42 victory over Sandburg. She scored 18 of her game-high 20 points in the final two quarters. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (17-7): Charnelle Reed scored 11 points in the Vikings’ 60-35 loss to Bolingbrook. Lauren Parker added 10 points and three steals. The two will look to get H-F back on track vs. …

• Photos (1)

Balanced L-Way East Win Makes Griffins No. 2 on Patch Rankings

Lincoln-Way East, Homewood-Flossmoor, Stagg and Mother McAuley are all pushing forward as the girls basketball season inches closer to postseason play.

1. Marist (22-1): Ever hear of Equal Opportunity Scoring? The RedHawks picked up 17 points each from JeTaun Rouse and Leah Bolton in their 57-24 victory over Resurrection. 2. Lincoln-Way East (18-2): Amy Jacobsen’s 16 points led a balanced attack for the Griffins in a 51-27 victory over Joliet West. Taylor Johnson had 14 points and seven assists. Caitlin McMahon added 12 points and 11 rebounds. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (16-6): Amena Brent and Charnelle Reed continue to give Viking opponents headaches. Brent scored 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds in a 58-41 victory over Lockport. Reed scored 15 points. 4. Stagg (14-5): Revi McMahon, Maggie Yandel and the rest of the Chargers are charging. McMahon scored 15 points in a 57-49 victory …

• Photos (1)

No. 1 for a Reason: Marist Girls Basketball Puts Power of Resiliency on Display

Marist showed why it remains No. 1 in the weekly Patch Power Rankings for girls basketball, bouncing back from its first loss by notching a 70-22 victory over Nazareth Academy. Lincoln-Way East and Homewood-Flossmoor are picking up the pieces, too.

1. Marist (20-1): JeTaun Rouse scored 18 points, but it was not enough to prevent Marist from falling to Trinity (57-51) in the McDonald’s Shootout. The RedHawks showed their powers of resiliency in a bounce-back victory over Nazareth Academy (70-22) on Wednesday. 2. Lincoln-Way East (14-2): Taylor Johnson and Caitlin McMahon enjoyed some big individual moments in a grueling stretch that saw the Griffins drop games to Geneva and Bolingbrook. Sandwiched in between was a quality win for East over New Trier. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (14-6): Danielle Woolfork put a fork in Joliet Central. She exploded for 20 points in the Vikings’ 71-29 victory. Western Illinois recruit Charnelle Reed added 14 points. Tosin Mobodu chipped in 12 points and 10 …

• Photos (1)

The Sports Report

Wide Gap in Girls Basketball Talent Results in Charges of Running Up the Score

Don't point the finger at L-W East or coach Jim Martin. Inflated scores in high school girls basketball often are the result of a huge talent drop-off that puts the "haves" on a level way above the "have-nots."

Running up the score is a dirty subject no one in sports wants to talk much about, particularly not when it involves high school sports and accusations of poor sportsmanship on the part of coaches and/or players. The subject reared its ugly head on Patch message boards following Lincoln-Way East’s 45-9 girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way Central on Tuesday. “Shame on you,” is how one commenter chose to berate East’s coach. I say cheap shot. I’m sure there are occasions when coaches and/or players attempt to run up the score on opponents. It’s human nature to hold a grudge, cite payback as the motive for poor behavior. So, does it happen? You bet. Do I think Lincoln-Way East was guilty of running it up on Lincoln-Way …

•  6 Comments
• Photos (3)

Ron Kremer

8:17 am on Sunday, January 15, 2012

Barry: Thanks for the comments. You make some good points, particularly the one about taking a group and playing with honor in the face of tall odds.   more ›

Girls Basketball: LW-East Holds Central to Single Digits, Stays Undefeated

Lincoln-Way East defeated Lincoln-Way Central 45-9 in a cross-district battle Tuesday night. Taylor Johnson and Caitlin McMahon led the way for the Griffins' outstanding defense.

At one point during Lincoln-Way East's girls basketball rout of Lincoln-Way Central, senior Taylor Johnson nailed a 3-pointer from about 4 feet behind the arc. The next possession, the Knights’ Kayla Pope had a wide open 3 that fell halfway down the basket before bouncing out. It was that kind of night for Central, which lost 45-9 to the undefeated Griffins. The Griffin defense was outstanding, keyed by Johnson's pressure on the perimeter and 6-foot senior Caitlin McMahon's presence inside. The Knights' defense did well in the second half, holding East to only 11 points in that span, but it wasn't enough. East coach Jim Martin said his team needs to avoid late-game droughts come playoff time. "When you get into the state tournament time …

•  15 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Videos (1)

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 …

• Videos (1)

Girls Basketball: L-W East Too Tall, Too Tough for L-W West

Lincoln Way East 57, Lincoln Way West 29: In the second game of the Medieval Classic, the Griffins jumped out early and never looked back against the Warriors.

The Skinny: From the opening tip, it was all Lincoln-Way East on Tuesday night in pool play at the Medieval Classic. The Griffins jumped all over Lincoln-Way West in the first quarter, going up 18-2 with just over a minute left. The Griffins held West to just two free throws in the opening quarter and landed an early knockout punch, taking a 32-7 lead into halftime and cruised to a 57-29 win to stay perfect on the year. Patch’s MVP: Lincoln Way East's Caitlin McMahon (14 points) continued her stellar senior year, tying for top scorer in the game with teammate Taylor Johnson. McMahon was a terror on the boards, deftly working for post position and handling everything, and everybody, West threw at her. Key Stats: West didn't hit a shot from …

• Photos (9)