Girls Basketball: Mother McAuley Ousts Oak Lawn

The Hot Read: Mother McAuley's defense was almost impenetrable in a 53-25 girls basketball victory over Oak Lawn on Thursday night in the Class 4A Mother McAuley Regional championship game. The Mighty Macs held the Spartans to single digits in the first quarter, as they took a 22-8 lead. The second half wasn't much better for the Spartans. They were held to just five points in the third quarter, as McAuley extended its lead to 47-21.

Patch's MVP: Molly Stasaitis (13 points, 2 rebounds). Stasaitis hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter to help the Mighty Macs build a 22-8 lead.

Key Stats: Oak Lawn came up with 13 rebounds, but the Spartans weren't able to do much with them. Mother McAuley grabbed 15 rebounds nd was able to come up with six steals. McAuley went 0-for-2 from the free throw line, but it didn't matter much. The Spartans went 3-of-7 from the line.

Mother McAuley Leaders: Alyssa Siwek (12 points, 2 rebounds), Kelly Mehalek (6 points, 1 rebound), Tiffany Fortune (6 points, 1 rebound).

Oak Lawn Leaders: Bridget Niemiec (9 points, 3 rebounds), Kim Braasch (9 points, 1 rebound), Kelly Foley (3 points, 2 rebounds).

Quotable I: Oak Lawn coach Jen Haubenreiser on her team's effort: "It wasn't our lack of effort--we played hard. We just didn't execute or do the things that we needed to do. They're a good team, and they've got a lot of talent and speed and they shot unbelievably well from the outside as usual."

Quotable II: Mother McAuley coach Karen Ade: "We came out and pressured the ball really well. We forced some key turnovers and were able to get some easy baskets off of them."

Team Records: McAuley is 20-11. Oak Lawn finishes out the season at 14-12.

What's Next: McAuley advances to the Class 4A Lyons Sectional on Tuesday. The Mighty Macs will play St.Ignatius. St. Ignatius defeated Chicago DuSable 49-33.