NL_120618

48 | December 6, 2018 | The New Lenox Patriot sports
newlenoxpatriot.com
Girls Basketball
Celtics suffer first loss to highly ranked Mighty Macs
Providence still
rolling with 6-1
record
Steve Millar
Freelance Reporter
Junior guard Claire Mc-
Grath likes the way Providence’s
girls basketball team
is clicking. The Celtics won
their first six games before
dropping a contest at Mother
McAuley on Thursday, Nov.
29.
“We’re playing much
more as a team this year than
we did last year,” McGrath
said. “Our ball movement
has gotten a lot better.
“Our chemistry is really
good this year. We all trust
each other and work well on
the court, so I think that’s
going to help us.”
The Celtics opened the season
by winning the Beecher
Fall Classic, going 5-0 in the
event. Providence rolled in
its first four games, topping
Beecher 69-32, Tinley Park
63-32, Illiana Christian 54-26
and Peotone 58-22.
In the championship game
of the tournament, the Celtics
outlasted Bradley-Bourbonnais
76-66.
“We beat a really good
Bradley-Bourbonnais team,”
Providence coach Eileen
Copenhaver said. “That was
a shootout, back and forth,
and we pulled it out. We take
a lot of positives from that
and the whole tournament.
“It was a great start to the
season for us. The team is
jelling pretty good and we
like the pieces we have to
work with.”
Junior guard Lauren
Knight was named MVP of
the Beecher Fall Classic, averaging
19 points a game in
the tournament.
“I was named a captain
this year, so I really wanted
Junior guard Lauren Knight is off to a hot start to the season winning Tournament MVP in the Beecher Classic to open the season, averaging 19 points
along the way. She scored seven points in a recent loss at Mother McAuley Thursday, Nov. 29. 22nd Century Media File Photo
to lead the team and talk
more,” Knight said. “I’m
honored to take that role.”
Senior guard/forward Ryann
Ogarek also showcased
her skills in the tournament,
averaging 16.8 points and 10
rebounds and being named
to the All-Tournament team.
Both players rose to the
occasion in the championship
game, Knight scoring
25 points and Ogarek adding
20.
“Those two are both playing
great for us,” Copenhaver
said. “Lauren’s shooting
has really been on point.”
The Celtics improved to
6-0 by routing Regina 72-20
in their home opener on Nov.
27.
Even in their first loss,
there were some positives to
take away.
An undefeated Mother
McAuley team, coming off
a sectional title last season,
provided a very tough test
for Providence.
The Celtics lost 66-31 but
outscored the Mighty Macs
in the second half.
“We won the second half,”
Knight said. “That was our
goal. At halftime, we felt
like we really needed to pick
it up. Even though we were
down big, we wanted to
keep playing hard and play
better in the second half.”
McGrath led the Celtics
with 12 points. Knight and
Ogarek added seven points
each, with Ogarek chipping
in six rebounds.
Junior center Jenna Spreitzer
came off the bench to
finish with six rebounds, and
sophomore guard Ashley
Raymer scored four points.
“Our energy was better in
the second half,” McGrath
said. “We communicated
better. We were happy with
that.”
Mother McAuley’s highpressure
defense forced
Providence into 23 first-half
turnovers, but the Celtics
turned it over just three times
in the second half, despite
the Mighty Macs’ starters
playing for a good portion of
the third quarter.
“They did some things that
got us off track in the first
half and got our confidence
down, but in the second half
we handled things much better,”
Copenhaver said. “I
liked the kids’ response and
the way they came back and
competed.”
Copenhaver was glad her
team got to play a team of
Mother McAuley’s caliber
early in the season.
“This is perfect,” she said.
“Sometimes you get a false
sense of security of how
good you are. A game like
this gives us a lot to work
on. You have to be positive,
learn from it and move forward.”
McGrath shared similar
sentiments.
“We have a lot of games
coming up against good
teams so this showed us
what we need to do and how
we need to step up to our
competition,” she said.
Going forward, Copenhaver
feels she has a team
that can put together a successful
season.
In addition to Knight and
Ogarek’s scoring abilities
and strong outside shooting,
Raymer and McGrath are capable
ballhandlers who can
also score.
Senior 5-foot-10 center
Maddy Bear provides an inside
presence.
Providence hopes to get
a boost later in the season
when junior Katie Rost returns
from a broken hand.
“Katie is our best defender
and sort of our glue,” Copenhaver
said. “We’re in a
bit of a transition now where
people have to do different
roles.
“That’s a good thing. It’ll
make everyone stronger
when everyone is back.”
Copenhaver is confident
the Celtics can continue to
score points the way they did
in their first six games, when
they averaged 65.
“Our biggest strength
could be our offense,” she
said. “We have good shooters.
We just need to work on
making those extra passes to
get a better shot. If we take
care of the basketball and
don’t turn it over like we did
(against Mother McAuley),
we’ll be all right.”