Extra Points: Stasaitis is McAuley's Go-To Girl

Molly Stasaitis scored 13 points for the Mighty Macs in Thursday's 53-25 girls basketball victory over Oak Lawn and her performance was consistent with her season-long play.

For senior guard Molly Stasaitis, putting points on the board is nothing new. And on Thursday night in a 53-25 girls basketball victory over Oak Lawn, she didn't disappoint. "Molly (Stasaitis) is usually our go-to kid on offense," Mother McAuley coach Karen Ade said. "We have a lot of threats, but Molly is the most consistent."  Stasaitis led the Mighty Macs with 13 points and two rebounds in the Class 4A regional final. She nailed three 3-pointers in the first half, which is a shot that she has been focusing on. "I've been practicing them a lot," Stasaitis said. "Our coach told us to just shoot with confidence. So, that's something I try to do." With the win, the Mighty Macs advance to the Lyons Township Sectional where they will play St.…

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Girls Basketball: Mother McAuley Ousts Oak Lawn

Mother McAuley 53, Oak Lawn 25. Mighty Macs sing, 'Good golly, Miss Molly' after Stasaitis leads the way with 13 points in regional final.

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 …

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Girls Basketball: Marist Gets an Early Jump on Shepard

Marist 62, Shepard 24. Asiana Bey's first-quarter buzzer-beater powers RedHawks' fast start in Class 4A regional semifinal victory.

The Hot Read: Marist jumped out to a 27-14 lead at the half en route to scoring a 62-24 girls basketball victory over Shepard in semifinal play Wednesday at the Class 4A Shepard Regional. The RedHawks used their double-teaming pressure defense to shut out the Astros in the third quarter as they widened their lead to 46-14. Jeanice Brewer hit a three-pointer for Shepard  and the end of the fourth quarter. but it was nowhere near enough. Patch's MVP: Asiana Bey (13 points, 4 rebounds). Bey hit a shot as the buzzer sounded at the end of the first quarter to give Marist a 15-2 lead.  Key Stats: Neither team was exceptional from the free throw line, but the RedHawks were slightly better. Marist went 4-of-9 from the line, while the Astros went 3…

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Girls Basketball: Shepard Upsets First-Place Richards

Shepard 35, Richards 30. Astros stun conference-leading Bulldogs behind the late-game heroics of Jamila McClinton.

The Hot Read: Shepard seemed to feed off the momentum of the Astros' fans to make key shots at the right times in a 35-30 girls basketball victory on Senior Night Thursday. The Astros fought their way back from a 20-11 deficit in the second quarter. Senior forward Jamila McClinton nailed a shot with seconds left to seal the deal for Shepard. Patch's MVP: Richards' Sam Kusta (10 points, 7 rebounds). Kusta came up with a big steal that led to a perfect layup to give the Bulldogs a 16-9 lead in the second quarter.  Key Stats: Richards' inability to make free throws hurt. The Bulldogs went just 9-of-28 from the line. Shepard made 5-of-9 free throws. Shepard's Leaders: Raynisha Dent (10 points, 6 rebounds). Amanda Weiss (8 points, 4 rebounds). …

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Girls Basketball Extra Points: Steigerwald Shows Glimpse of Future for Oak Lawn

Spartans' seniors make their last home game count, while a freshman flashes promise, too, in victory over Evergreen Park.

The Best Play: Oak Lawn freshmen center Jill Steigerwald started off the second quarter of the Spartans' 48-23 victor over Evergreen Park on Tuesday night with a bang. Steigerwald turned heads as she scored six unanswered points to give Oak Lawn a 24-5 lead over the Mustangs. She went on to finish with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Fan-Tastic: "We've been watching these girls play since fourth, fifth and sixth grade. They're like family," said Spartans fan Sue Foley. "We're going to miss them terribly. But the game was just fantastic. What a way to end your high school years." Sophomore Score: Oak Lawn 41, Evergreen Park 16. Jannah Mahmoud  scored 16 points for the Spartans. Zoe Monks had 10 for the Mustangs.  A Look Ahead: Oak Lawn will go …

Girls Basketball: Niemiec Comes Up Big in Oak Lawn's Win Over Evergreen Park

Oak Lawn 48, Evergreen Park 23. The Spartans' defense stopped the Mustangs in their tracks.

The Hot Read: Oak Lawn's defense made its presence known as the Spartans held Evergreen Park to just 23 points on Tuesday night. The Spartans used quick passes to keep the ball in the Mustangs' zone and to build a 31-14 lead at halftime.  Patch's MVP: Oak Lawn's Bridget Niemiec (17 points, 9 rebounds). Niemiec scored on back-to-back shots in the first quarter to give the Spartans a 14-3 lead. Key Stats: Evergreen Park was unable to capitalize on its free throw opportunities. The Mustangs missed eight of their 14 free throws chances. Oak Lawn, on the other hand, made 7-of-11 free throws. Oak Lawn Leaders: Jill Steigerwald (14 points, 10 rebounds), Nicole Paplauski (4 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists), Kelly Foley (4 points, 3 assists). …

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Richards Climbs to .500 with Win Over Oak Forest

Hannah Jenkins scores 17 points as Bulldogs top Bengals 55-39 in South Suburban Red girls basketball on Thursday night.

It was a South Suburban Red Conference showdown that went to the dogs. The Richards Bulldogs showed their dominance against Oak Forest and came out on top. Richards (6-6) defeated Oak Forest 55-39 in girls basketball on Thursday night. Richards sits at 2-3 in the conference. Bulldogs coach Jeff Kortz said he was proud of his girls for being able to stop a team like Oak Forest (10-6, 4-2). "The girls played extremely hard," Kortz said. "Oak Forest is a good team, and they are coached extremely well. They're explosive. To be able to hold them to 39 points shows that we did a good job defensively." The fourth quarter proved that Richards can be explosive, too.  A shot from junior guard Katie Swanson helped tie the game for Oak Forest at 30-30…

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Rouse, RedHawks Top H-F in Battle for Third

Sophomore guard JeTaun Rouse scores 23 points as Marist rolls to a 52-35 girls basketball victory over Homewood-Flossmoor.

JeTaun Rouse and the Marist RedHawks brought their 'A' game on Wednesday night, as they claimed third place in the Hillcrest Holiday Tournament with a 52-35 girls basketball victory over Homewood-Flossmoor. Marist coach Mary Pat Connolly said she wasn't allowing her players much room for error. "We were a little bit more composed," Connolly said. "We had a little shorter lease on players. We were trying to control our turnovers, and we were trying to refine everything that went wrong (Tuesday)." The RedHawks bounced back from a loss to Morgan Park to raise their record to 11-4 overall and 3-1 in the tournament. "The girls did a a great job of crashing the boards," Connolly said. "The girls did a good job of keeping things under control and…

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