Sports

Girls Basketball: Marist Builds Lead, Then Hangs on Against Marian

Marist 47, Marian Catholic 43: Low post presence, scoring push RedHawks past Spartans in Chicago Heights.

The Skinny: Marist's team height was the story of the game for the RedHawks, who came into their girls basketball game with Marian Catholic on Monday night ready for battle. The post presence of the RedHawks powered the team, as nearly every timely rebound found its way into a RedHawks' hands. Marian kept the game close in their home gym with an uptempo style, but Marist's post dominance proved to be too much in its 47-43 victory.

Patch’s MVP: Marist's Asianna Bey finished with nine points in the victory, but more importantly held Marian's Megan Walsh, who was averaging 20 points, to 14. Bey was dominant in the paint.

Key Stats: Aside from outrebounding the Spartans, Marist also got to the free throw line more than three times as much as the Spartans. Marist went 15-of-25 at the line, while Marian could only muster a 2-of-7 effort at the stripe. Marist's Leah Bolton led the charge, going 9-of-14 at the line.

Find out what's happening in Oak Lawnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Marist’s Leaders: Leah Bolton (17 points), JeTaun Rouse (12 points), Asianna Bey (9 points).

Marian Catholic Leaders: Ashton Millender (15 points), Megan Walsh (14 points), Amber Williams (8 points).

Find out what's happening in Oak Lawnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Quotable I: Asianna Bey on her low-post effort against Marian: “I knew I had to come in strong in the paint, because I heard (Megan Walsh) had been averaging 20 points, so I knew I had to be strong offensively and defensively with the rebounds. I was just head hunting for the ball.”

Quotable II: Marian Catholic coach Annie Byrne on her young team's effort: “I'm really proud of the kids, but are you going to take your bumps while you're learning to adjust? Yeah, you absolutely are. I understand that, that's why I said at times we took five steps forward, three steps back.”

Team Records: Marist improves its undefeated record to 11-0 overall and 3-0 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. Marian falls to 5-4 overall and 1-1 in East Suburban Catholic Conference action.

What’s Next: Marist next plays in the Hillcrest Holiday Classic on Dec. 27, while Marian Catholic takes part in the Mississippi Showdown on Dec. 22 against Home Lake.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here