Girls Basketball: L-W North Defense Shuts Down Richards Attack

L-W North 51, Richards 16: Ashley Weringa scored 14 points and the Phoenix dominated in all phases to cruise in play at Oak Lawn's Holiday Tournament.

The Skinny: It took more than four and a half minutes for Lincoln-Way North to make its first basket in a 51-16 victory over Richards Tuesday in play at the Oak Lawn Holiday Tournament. Then, Taylor Boardman drained a 3-pointer and the Phoenix never looked back as their defense bottled up Richards. The Bulldogs remained without a basket until the final two minutes of the first quarter. Lincoln-Way North put together a 22-2 scoring run before the Richards went on a 6-0 spurt to close out the first half. Lincoln-Way North sealed the deal with a 22-3 flurry to close the second half. Patch MVP: Ashley Weringa had 14 points, five rebounds and two steals for Lincoln-Way North. Key Stats: The Phoenix made 17-of-50 shots, including 7-of-23 from …

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Glory Days

Lewis Owes Football Success to Great Coaches, Mentors at Richards & Wisconsin

Reliving Sean Lewis' Glory Days with the Bulldogs: He said it’s his memories off the field, time spent with his mentors and coaches, that mean the most to him.

Sean Lewis started playing football at Richards High School during his freshman year. He admits now that he wasn’t very good, not to start. Luckily for him, Jeff Kortz, then his coach, took a special interest in seeing Lewis succeed. He not only played for the Bulldogs from 2000-2003. He excelled. “Whenever I needed anyone to train with, I knew I could count on him," Lewis said. "He definitely had a big influence on physically preparing me to play." In his sophomore year, Lewis moved to varsity where he split time as Richards' starting quarterback. The Bulldogs finished second in the Class 4A state playoffs in 2001, losing to powerhouse Providence. “I didn’t play in the state game, which motivated me to play better my junior year,” Lewis …

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Coach Kortz Has the Winning Touch at Richards

Jeff Kortz has been a part of six straight conference championships among three different teams, leading one colleague to call him Richards' Most Valuable Coach.

Last August, the South Suburban Conference honored Richards’ Jeff Kortz at a banquet for being named the conference’s girls basketball Coach of the Year. There was just one problem: Kortz didn’t show. The longtime Richards coach is not one for attention or self-congratulation. Therefore, Richards Athletic Director Ken Styler stood in Kortz's place at the banquet. Kortz may be unusually humble, but considering his accomplishments, he has no reason to be. Winning has come in bunches for Kortz over the last two years. He is Richards’ head varsity girls basketball coach and is an assistant coach for the varsity football and baseball teams. With Kortz patrolling the sidelines, these three teams have combined to win six straight conference …

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Extra Points: Richards Wins Bragging Rights ... and So Much More

Bulldogs' victory over crosstown rival Oak Lawn on Thursday night is extra sweet because it came with a conference championship.

Before tipoff of Thursday night’s crosstown showdown between Oak Lawn and Richards, the host Bulldogs celebrated Parents Night, as parents escorted the players onto the court. It was just the start of a night of celebrations for the Bulldogs. Richards’ 52-36 victory clinched the South Suburban Red crown for the Bulldogs, making it a most memorable night for seniors Raneisha Hill, Rachael Garner, Sommer Jones and Mary Kate Hresil. “We played three tough games this week against Reavis, Argo and Oak Lawn,” Richards coach Jeff Kortz said. “We fought hard to win the conference. Hats off to Oak Lawn’s seniors. They battled all game long. We’ll get ready for the playoffs now.” While the Richards seniors were celebrating, it was junior forward …

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Extra Points: Richards' LeBeau a Two-Sport Standout

Brianna LeBeau turned in an electric performance in Richards' 56-44 girls basketball victory over Stagg on Saturday afternoon, but her preferred sport is softball.

Brianna LeBeau is the youngest of her three sisters, but at 5-10, she is the tallest. The Richards junior forward powered the Bulldogs to a 56-44 girls basketball victory over Stagg in the Saturday matinee on D-Wade Court. Basketball, however, is not LeBeau’s main sport. She is a softball standout and already has committed to play collegiately at Northwestern.  On the basketball court, she draws admiration from her own coach and opposing coaches who recognize she is a bit out of her element, but nonetheless talented. “She’s a good player," Stagg coach Bill Turner said. "She handled the ball for them most of the time. And she’s a very good post player." Her own coach, too, sends his praises. “Brianna (LeBeau) had a good game for us," …

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Girls Basketball: Richards' Second Effort Brings Down Evergreen Park

The Bulldogs break away for a 45-25 victory over the host Mustangs as Rainesha Hill and Brianna LeBeau both score 9 points in the second half.

Strong second-half efforts from Rainesha Hill and Brianna LeBeau helped Richards power past host Evergreen Park 45-25 Thursday night in a South Suburban Conference game. Hill poured in nine out of her game-high 14 points in the second half and LeBeau scored nine of her 11 points after the intermission. Richards (10-7, 4-4) pulled away after leading 21-13 at the half. “We played hard tonight. We wanted to win for Coach’s birthday,” Hill said. “It was a tight game and we knew we had to get it together in the second half. We know we have to step it up the rest of the season, and I think we will have fun doing that.” “It was a sluggish game,” Richards coach Jeff Kortz said. “We battled it out in the first half and then hit some key shots in …

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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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Defense the Difference as Lemont Tips Richards

Indians hold Bulldogs scoreless for first 10 minutes in 33-24 girls basketball victory.

On those nights when your offense doesn't make it to the game, it's always a good idea to pack a little extra defense just in case. Lemont's girls basketball team had just such a night Friday at home. The Indians held Richards scoreless for more that 10 minutes to open the game and rode that defense to a 33-24 victory over the Bulldogs. "We were just so unfundamental, but defensively, we were very solid," Lemont coach Bill Bozue said. "When the ball's not going in, you can still play defense." On a night when there were more turnovers than points, Lemont's defense forced the issue, with guard Annie Forzley creating pressure up front and forwards Brenna Koerner and Amy Skowronski forcing the issue on the wings. But it took Lemont almost …

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Tinley Park Girls Outlast Richards

The Lady Titans put forth a strong 32-minute effort and needed every ounce of energy to secure a 44-43 victory on their home court.

A spirited 32-minute effort that ended in a dramatic defensive stand helped the Tinley Park Lady Titans preserve a much-needed home victory. Tinley Park's 44-43 over Richards on Thursday wasn't decided until an attempted 3-pointer by the Lady Bulldogs' Samantha Kusta rattled out as time expired. "It's something the girls have worked hard for and it's just a great win," Tinley Park coach Jason Becker said. "Richards is a very good team and we kept preaching confidence — don't be intimidated; come into the game knowing you could win the game." The Lady Titans (2-5) followed the direction of their coach's pregame pep talk by scoring 18 points in the first quarter, which turned out to be the most productive offensive quarter for Tinley Park so…

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Richards Has Experience to Defend Girls Basketball Crown

Bulldogs intent on remaining at top of South Suburban Red heap.

At Richards, the girls basketball team works to keep up with the boys--and vice versa. The Lady Bulldogs, like their male counterparts, are defending champions in the South Suburban Red. The girls posted a 14-10 record last year and were ousted in the first round of the IHSA playoffs by Rich Central. The goal this season is to make a deeper run in the postseason. Richards returns five players, including three starters. The list includes Brianna LeBeau, Hannah Jenkins, Rachel Garner, Sam Kusta and Raneisha Hill.  LeBeau, Jenkins and Garner have started all of their years for the Bulldogs. The three plan to provide experience and leadership. "It's my senior year, so I want to go out with a big boom," said Garner, a shooting guard. "I want to…

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