UPDATE: Who Gets the Biggest Roar from the Crowd This Week ...?

Sandburg junior wrestling standpout Mitch Cook gained the most support in "Roar of the Crowd" polling. He is now eligible for February Patch Athlete of the Month Recognition.

Your Patch is a place to celebrate local high school athletes. Show your support for these prep sports MVPs — each of whom is Athlete of the Week in his or her local Patch — by cheering them on in the comments thread, sharing your own photos with the Patch community and voting in the poll. Do you think we're missing someone? Tell us in the comments and share his or her photo to the gallery above. (It's easy. Just click the Upload Photos and Videos link — learn more here.) Read more about this week's MVPs in the photo gallery, and show your support for them by: There is one more way for you to become a more interactive fan: Sign up to become a Patch sports blogger. (Learn more about blogging on Patch here).

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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’…

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 ›

Marist Retains Grip on No. 1 Spot in Girls Basketball Power Rankings

Marist rallied to top Mother McAuley 58-53 on its home floor Tuesday and retained its No. 1 position in the Patch Power Rankings for girls basketball. Lincoln-Way East, Homewood-Flossmoor, Rich Central and Andrew are waiting in the wings for an opportunit

1. Marist (18-0): Asianna Bey and Claire Ryan came up big in the second half of the RedHawks’ thrilling 58-53 come-from-behind victory over rival Mother McAuley. Marist plays host to St. Viator at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. 2. Lincoln-Way East (13-0): Taylor Johnson scored 14 points and the Griffins’ defense was too tough for district rival Lincoln-Way Central in East’s 45-9 victory in New Lenox. Next for the Griffins is tonight’s game at Lockport. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (12-6): Charnelle Reed made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points in a 90-61 loss to Bolingbrook. The Vikings will look to rebound vs. Lincoln-Way Central tonight. 4. Rich Central (16-4): Double digits in scoring and rebounding. Chaz Duson and Jessica Warren continue to pose double-…

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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 …

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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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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 …

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UPDATE: And the Winner in Patch Athlete of the Week Voting is ...

Marian Catholic junior forward Megan Walsh put up big numbers for the Spartans in the Chi-Town Showdown. And she put up big numbers in Patch Athlete of the Week voting, too.

Megan Walsh outpolled five others in voting for Patch Athlete of the Week, Dec. 4-10. Walsh is now eligible for December Patch Athlete of the Month recognition. The candidates were: Jubril Adekoya, junior, forward, boys basketball, Andrew. Adekoya scored 20 points and hauled down 13 rebounds in the T-Bolts’ 81-51 victory over Stagg. Brooke Annerino, sophomore, guard, girls basketball, Oak Lawn. Annerino was pretty in pink in the Spartans’ 67-59 victory over Oak Forest on Pink Out Night. She scored 20 points and helped promote Oak Lawn’s breast cancer awareness fundraising efforts. Colin Holler, junior, wrestling, Sandburg. Holler won the 152-pound championship in the Wildcat Invitational at Wheeling. He scored a fall and two major …

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