LP_112217

lockportlegend.com SPORTS
the Lockport Legend | November 22, 2017 | 39
fastbreak
Girls Basketball
Lockport hangs on after 15-0 run to beat Downers Grove North
22nd Century Media File Photo
1st and 3
Lockport girls
swimming competes
at state
1. Merk leads the
Porters
LTHS swimmer
Lindsey Merk
finished sixth in the
100-yard butterfly at
the IHSA State Finals.
Merk had qualified
for the butterfly and
backstroke at state
at the sectional meet
Lockport hosted.
2. Johnson represents
team
Lockport girls
swimmer Emily
Johnson swam in
the 200-yard and
100-yard freestyle
events in the
preliminaries but
did not make the
cut to advance to
the finals.
3. Many returning
swimmers
Lockport coach
Grant Ferkaluk
looks forward to
having many of his
swimmers returning,
including Merk and
Johnson.
Team looks to cut
down on turnovers,
maintain free throw
consistency
Randy Whalen
Freelance Reporter
“One thing about this group is they’re resilient. They
bought into our depth, and we’re going to wear people
down.”
Dan Kelly — Lockport girls basketball coach, on his team’s depth this season
One of the marks of a
good team is being able to
overcome mistakes and still
win a game.
Entering the season, the
Lockport Township girls
basketball team believed it
was a good team. Last week,
the Porters showed it by rallying
down the stretch for a
47-41 victory over Downers
Grove North on Thursday,
Nov. 16, in a nonconference
matchup in Downers Grove.
It was the second win in
three days for Lockport (2-
0). The host Trojans (0-2)
were led by a game-high 13
points from 6-foot-3 junior
forward Jalyn Harris. They
played the last quarter without
starting junior forward
Quinn Stephens, who went
out with a left leg injury in
the final seconds of the third
quarter.
“One thing about this
group is they’re resilient,”
Lockport coach Dan Kelly
said of his team. “They
bought into our depth, and
we’re going to wear people
down. I’m really proud of
all 14 of them.”
He had every reason to be,
as the Porters refused to cave
in after early foul trouble,
missed layups and committing
34 turnovers hampered
them. Their two veteran
players led the way as senior
guards Taylor Hopkins (12
points) and Destiny Davis (9
points) showed the experience
of both being four-year
varsity players.
“We really locked in on
defense,” said Hopkins of
the Porters’ play down the
stretch. “We all looked at
each other and said, ‘Let’s
calm down and play the way
we can play.’”
Not only did they play the
way they can play, they got a
big contribution from junior
guard Payton Grcevic (9
points) off the bench when
Davis was sitting out with
foul trouble.
Grcevic swished a
3-pointer from the right
baseline with 2:18 to play
in the third quarter. That
not only closed the Porters
within 33-29, it triggered a
15-0 run that put them up
for good. Davis had a steal
and layup at the 31-second
mark, and sophomore forward
Treasure Thompson
(4 points, 3 rebounds, assist,
blocked shot) scored on a layup
to end the third quarter
with a score of 33-33.
Thompson and Grcevic
added baskets as Lockport
scored the first eight points
of the fourth quarter and extended
to a 41-33 lead on a
layup by Hopkins with 3:36
to play in the game.
“We expect every girl on
the roster to step on the floor
and do the job,” Kelly said
of Grcevic and Thompson
contributing. “They did it.”
But the Trojans, who had
opened the season on Nov.
13 with a 38-19 loss to Glenbard
West at Glenbard South
as part of the Glenbard East
Thanksgiving Tournament,
didn’t go away. After not
scoring for 8:25, North
went on an 8-2 run, which
was capped by six straight
points from junior guard Julia
Kramper (10 points) in
exactly two minutes to pull
within 43-41 with 1:27 to
play in the game.
Lockport committed its
eighth turnover of the quarter,
and the Trojans had an
opportunity to tie with just
over 20 seconds to play but
shot an air ball from close
range.
“We wanted to go out
to play to win, and we did
that,” Kelly said of the Porters
staying aggressive at the
end. “We want to play fast,
and [turnovers] is one thing
we have to work on.”
Hopkins and Davis, who
picked up her fourth foul
eight seconds into the fourth
quarter, both sank a pair of
free throws in the last 18.7
seconds to clinch it.
“Everyone made them,”
Davis said of the free
throws.
The Porters went 12-of-14
from the line to help them
win, while Downers Grove
North, which committed 27
turnovers in the game, was
3-of-13 on free throws.
“I’m happy with the free
throws,” Hopkins said. “It
felt good to make them because
in the past [missing
them] killed us. [The victory]
feels good. I’m just really
happy with the team and
how we ended up playing.”
A 3-pointer by senior
guard Megan James gave
Lockport an 8-5 lead with
3:19 left in the first quarter.
But the Trojans then went
on a 14-0 burst and held the
Porters scoreless for nearly
eight minutes to take the
largest lead of the game at
19-8 on a steal and layup
by sophomore guard Ellie
Gross. Davis was out for
much of that time, as she
committed her third foul
with 5:55 to play in the second
quarter.
“We just pumped everyone
up,” said Davis of what
she and the bench did when
she was out with the foul
trouble. “We just said, ‘Slow
down, keep your composure.
Let’s not get down on
ourselves and play the way
we know how to play.’”
They did that by bouncing
back from the drought and
scoring 14 points in the final
3:38 of the first half to pull
within 27-22 at halftime.
The Porters opened the
season on Nov. 14 with a
resounding 62-28 home victory
over Romeoville.
Trailing 5-4 late in the
first quarter, Lockport went
on an 18-0 blitz and lead
24-5 before settling for a
28-11 halftime lead. It was
40-21 after three quarters
when the Porters opened the
fourth period with another
16-0 run.
Hopkins led Lockport with
12 points. Junior forward
Jacqueline Maka (9 points),
Davis (8 points), James (7
points) and senior forward
Taylor Shingler (7 points)
also chipped in, as the Porters
had 10 players score.
Lockport hosts Richards
at 3 p.m. on Wednesday,
Nov. 22, and then travels
to Joliet West on Monday,
Nov. 27, at 6 p.m. for another
nonconference matchup.
LISTEN UP
“Overall, I’m happy with my season. Successful or not,
competing in the state meet is a great experience. I enjoyed
it.”
Lindsey Merk — Lockport girls swimmer, after competing at state
Tune In
Girls Bowling
Back at it — 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at
Highland Park Bowl
• The Lockport girls bowling team takes a trip
west to participate in the Rock Island Invite
to kickoff its season.
Index
35 - This Week In
34 - Athlete of the Week
FASTBREAK is compiled by Contributing Editor
Thomas Czaja, tom@homerhorizon.com.