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 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: 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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Legally Blind L-W North Golfer Juskie Aces His Latest Test

Phoenix sophomore Matt Juskie calls on a spotter to help him "see" each hole. He earned medalist honors in a dual against Thornton Fractional South Wednesday at Balmoral Woods County Club. And he continued to inspire his teammates, too.

Standing in the sun on the first tee box at Balmoral Woods Country Club, Lincoln Way North sophomore Matt Juskie is all smiles. It's his second varsity boys golf dual, but nerves don't seem to be getting to him one bit. As he gets ready to address his ball, Juskie takes a minute to talk with family friend Mark Poncer about how the hole looks. Normally, talking to Poncer about a hole would be a violation of IHSA rules, but for Juskie it's par for the course. That's because Juskie can't see the hole. He's legally blind. Poncer is acting as his spotter, helping him see a the fairway, green and pin. “You have to be able to paint the picture that other golfers can see,” Poncer said. “He has to be able to visualize what everybody else sees. Once…

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Extra Points: L-Way North Freshman Pietruszynski Comes up Big

Phoenix topple rival Lincoln-Way West as Warriors' senior Kaitlyn Ray suffers another setback in loss.

Growing up playing basketball, Lincoln-Way North’s Sam Pietruszynski thought it would be neat to be on the varsity team as a high school freshman. Pietruszynski accomplished that feat when she was promoted to the varsity from the sophomore team midway through this season. “It was very exciting,” Pietruszynski said. “It meant a lot to me. I always dreamed of playing varsity as a freshman. I love playing with everyone. It’s been great.” Pietruszynski turned in her best game of the season Tuesday, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. She came off the bench to score a game-high 13 points and added three steals to lead the Phoenix to a 50-36 Southwest Suburban Red victory over Lincoln-Way West in New Lenox. “She gives us a good spark off…

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'Schuh' Fits for Phoenix in Win over L-Way West

Senior Erynn Schuh has a night to remember as she leads leads Lincoln-Way North to a big girls basketball win over district rival Warriors.

Lincoln-Way North coach Jim Nair saw his standout senior forward Erynn Schuh have the game of her life as she led the Phoenix to a 62-49 Southwest Suburban Red girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way West on Thursday. With the win, the Phoenix gave West its first conference loss and knocked the Warriors out of sole possession of first place in conference play. North, West and Andrew share the lead, each with one loss. With North leading 7-6 midway through the second quarter, Schuh started her unbelievable night as she drained all three of her three-point shots in the quarter and sparked the Phoenix to a 11-0 run to end the quarter. North built an 18-6 lead during the flurry. “Tonight, the only thing that seemed to slow …

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Griffins Repeat as Medieval Champs over Phoenix

Lincoln-Way East guards Kelly McGovern and Taylor Johnson spark a convincing 46-26 win at the Medieval Classic.

With Thursday's girls championship game of the 2010 Medieval Classic featuring a rematch of the 2009 title game between Lincoln-Way East and Lincoln-Way North, expectations of a fierce showdown between the top two seeds were justified. After all, many of the key players from last season's teams are back, and both teams sport gaudy records. Unfortunately for North's Phoenix, two of East's returning players are senior guard Kelly McGovern and junior guard Taylor Johnson, and that duo showed their chemistry from Thursday's opening tip. They helped Lincoln-Way East jump out to a big lead early and cruise to a 46-26 victory. East, which also won last year's Medieval championship game, 46-40, improved to 11-3 on the season. North fell to 14-3. …

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Ron Kremer

9:32 am on Wednesday, January 12, 2011

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