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The Mokena Messenger 120816
The Mokena Messenger 120816
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mokenamessenger.com sports<br />
the Mokena Messenger | December 8, 2016 | 45<br />
Girls Basketball<br />
Griffins spoil former East players’ return to Frankfort<br />
Three Griffins score<br />
in double figures in<br />
win<br />
RANDY WHALEN<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
There was an “old home”<br />
feel when Lincoln-Way Central<br />
traveled to Lincoln-Way<br />
East for an intra-district basketball<br />
matchup.<br />
After all, Central coach<br />
Dave Campanile was a<br />
lower-level girls basketball<br />
coach at East for 12 years,<br />
with the previous 10 seasons<br />
as the Griffins’ sophomore<br />
coach. Plus, because of the<br />
closure of Lincoln-Way<br />
North, there are eight players<br />
on the Central roster who<br />
played at East last season.<br />
There was a lot of familiarity<br />
between the teams. But<br />
when all was said and done,<br />
East was glad to not only get<br />
a victory over a group of familiar<br />
foes, but to play better<br />
in all phases of the game.<br />
That happened as the Griffins<br />
pulled away early and<br />
went onto a 49-31 win over<br />
Central in a SouthWest Suburban<br />
Conference crossover<br />
Nov. 29 in Frankfort.<br />
Junior forward Lauren<br />
Hunter led East (4-3) with<br />
16 points and added 11 rebounds.<br />
The guard tandem<br />
of junior Carolyn Waleski<br />
(12 points, four rebounds)<br />
and senior Bailey Kramer<br />
(11 points) also contributed<br />
for the Griffins.<br />
Only four players scored<br />
for Central (4-2). Senior<br />
forward Courteney Barnes<br />
(nine points, 13 rebounds),<br />
who was a key contributor<br />
on the Griffins’ regional title<br />
team last season before moving<br />
to Central this season,<br />
and senior guard Colleen<br />
Barrett (nine points) led the<br />
way for the Knights.<br />
East was happy to defeat<br />
Guard Colleen Barrett shoots a free throw.<br />
a team with former Griffins,<br />
but the current Griffins<br />
were even happier to put it<br />
all together after going .500<br />
in the first six games, including<br />
a 56-37 loss to host Lyons<br />
Township on Nov. 26 in<br />
the final round of the Lyons<br />
Thanksgiving Tournament.<br />
“We were all ready for the<br />
game,” East junior forward<br />
Lily Hicks said. “Especially<br />
since we knew all those<br />
girls. But [against Central],<br />
we all mixed together as a<br />
team.”<br />
To open the game, the<br />
Knights, who came in holding<br />
teams to 29 points per<br />
game, won the tip and immediately<br />
slowed it down.<br />
That resulted in sophomore<br />
forward Abi Baumgartner<br />
(eight points) getting fouled<br />
and hitting a free throw about<br />
a minute into the game.<br />
But that would be the<br />
Knights’ only lead. They tied<br />
the game at 2-2 and then at<br />
4-4. But a layup by Hunter<br />
put East ahead for good at<br />
6-4. The Griffins led 11-5<br />
after one quarter and pulled<br />
away to a 27-10 advantage at<br />
halftime.<br />
Hunter was scoring inside<br />
for East, and when she<br />
wasn’t, she was banging for<br />
rebounds.<br />
“A physical game is a good<br />
game,” Hunter said. “I think<br />
we played well as a team. I<br />
feel like we’re on a roll now.<br />
I feel we’ve come together<br />
and are getting closer to our<br />
potential as a team. We’ve<br />
been working hard, and we<br />
definitely worked our butts<br />
off on defense.”<br />
Hunter and Waleski are<br />
two of the players that came<br />
from North. The familiarity<br />
helps.<br />
“With Lauren, her and I<br />
have been playing together<br />
as long as I can remember,”<br />
Waleski said. “We always<br />
work so well together. I<br />
know that when I pass it to<br />
her she’ll finish, and do the<br />
right thing.”<br />
The third quarter was a<br />
defensive one, as the teams<br />
combined for 10 total points.<br />
The Griffins led 33-14 after<br />
three.<br />
The Knights trailed 41-19<br />
midway through the fourth<br />
quarter, but they didn’t give<br />
up. A 10-2 burst was capped<br />
on a rebound basket by<br />
Baumgartner, which closed<br />
them within 43-29 with 2:32<br />
to play in the game.<br />
But that was as close as<br />
they would get. Leading 45-<br />
31, Kramer hit 4-of-6 free<br />
throws in the final 1:19 to<br />
clinch it. The Griffins had<br />
nine different players score,<br />
but six of them had two<br />
points or fewer. Senior guard<br />
Hayley Papoccia added five<br />
points for Central.<br />
“As soon as I got this job, I<br />
said, ‘Lets play each other,’”<br />
Campanile said of facing<br />
East. “We came in averaging<br />
37 points, but were holding<br />
teams to 29. [Against East],<br />
we struggled to score but<br />
played good defense. That’s<br />
a good team, and I’m happy<br />
to still hold them in the 40s.<br />
“I told the girls that it was<br />
OK to say it was a big game.<br />
We embraced that. It was<br />
great to come back here, and<br />
it was fun.”<br />
Lincoln-Way Central’s Abi Baumgartner shoots a jump shot<br />
with Lincoln-Way East guard Carolyn Waleski contesting<br />
Nov. 29 during an inter-district matchup between the two<br />
teams. Photos by Julie McMann/22nd Century Media<br />
Jaylin Baumgartner (left) and Courteney Barnes (middle)<br />
wrestle for a loose ball with East forward Lauren Hunter.
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