MM_121318

mokenamessenger.com sports
the Mokena Messenger | December 13, 2018 | 35
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
with Regan LoConte
Regan LoConte is a junior
guard on the Lincoln-Way
Central girls basketball team
How’d you get started
in basketball?
I started in the fourth
grade, mostly because of my
dad. He was big in to basketball
and he started to coach
me.
Do you have any rituals
or superstitions on the
court?
If I do good one game
with a certain pair of socks
I try to keep wearing those
socks because I feel like it
makes me do better. And I
also chew gum during every
game. I wash the socks.
What’s your favorite
memory playing
basketball?
Just that my dad got to
coach me and got to be with
me through all the practices
and games.
What would be the first
thing you’d buy if you
won the lottery?
A pet elephant. I love elephants.
[I’d name it] Delaney,
after my sister.
Do you prefer to play
offense or defense?
Offense. I like to shoot 3s
and get it in to my teammates
and make the plays happen.
What’s your favorite
movie?
“The Notebook.”
Who would be on your
dream team?
Steph Curry, my sister
Delaney, Michael Jordan
and my dad.
If you could have dinner
with anyone living or
dead, who would it be
and why?
My mom because she’s
a great cook and I just like
spending time with her.
Do you have any plans
for college?
I like North Central and
Murray State because my
grandpa went there. And
Photo submitted
University of Tennessee
Martin. I want to be an opthamologist,
so [I’d probably
major in] pre-med and
I want to major in chemistry…
My dad is an eye doctor,
so he could probably
help me with some stuff.
What advice do you
have for the next
generation of Knights
basketball players?
Try your best at all times.
Never give up on yourself.
And that quote: “You miss
100 percent of the shots you
don’t take.”
Interview conducted by Editor
T.J. Kremer III
This Week In...
Knights Varsity
Athletics
Boys Basketball
■Dec. ■ 13 - at Stagg, 6:15
p.m.
■Dec. ■ 15 - at Minooka, 4:30
p.m.
■Dec. ■ 17 - hosts Chicago
A&S High School (Junior High
Night), 6 p.m.
Girls Basketball
■Dec. ■ 13 - hosts Andrew, 6
p.m.
Wrestling
■Dec. ■ 14 - at Glenbrook
South Tournament, 3:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 15 - at Glenbrook
South Tournament, 10 a.m.
Girls Bowling
■Dec. ■ 15 - hosts Lincoln-Way
Cup, 9 a.m.
■Dec. ■ 19 - hosts Southland
College Prep, 4:30 p.m.
basketball
From Page 37
59 on a 3-pointer by senior
guard Ray’von Houston (7
points, all in the 4th quarter)
with 2:05 to play. They were
still within 63-60 after a free
throw with 1:43 remaining,
but 26 seconds later missed a
trey that would have tied the
game. Central went 4-of-4
from the line in the final 41.3
seconds to clinch the win.
“We just came out strong
in the second half and we
all played together,” Tingley
said. “We started playing
together more and put some
scoring together and that
helped and just took over
from there. We’re a young
team so the more that we
play together, the more that
it will help. We have some
guys on this team who are
good leaders so we’re just
trying to play together and
preparing for the future but,
also, trying to get as many
wins as we can.”
Sophomore guard/forward
Wesley Woods (15
Boys Bowling
■Dec. ■ 15 - hosts Lincoln-Way
Cup, 9 a.m.
Boys Swimming and
Diving
■Dec. ■ 14 - at Neuqua Valley
Invite, 5 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 15 - at Neuqua Valley
Invite, 9 a.m.
Competitive Cheerleading
■Dec. ■ 15 - at Rolling
Meadows Invite, TBA
■Dec. ■ 16 - at Joliet West
Invite, TBA
Competitive Dance
■Dec. ■ 16 - at Warren
Township Invite, TBA
Griffins Varsity
Athletics
Boys Basketball
■Dec. ■ 14 - host Sandburg,
6:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 15 - host Lyons
points) led Southland. Junior
center Emeka Ajaere
(12 points), senior guard
Dwayne Neff (9 points)
and senior forward Jaylon
Barnes (8 points) also contributed
for the Eagles.
Central jumped out to an
early 8-3 lead, but the Eagles
came back with a 10-0
run. The score was tied 13-
13 after one quarter. That
was the first of four ties
that quarter, and there were
also eight lead changes in a
competitive second quarter
that saw each team score 17
points.
“They played hard and
made some shots,” Central
coach Bob Curran said of the
Eagles. “They’re quick and
they might have shot better
from the three-point line
than we did, and that kept
them in the game. With a lot
of sophomores, you can tell
that we’re physically weak.
We’ve had a bunch of close
games, and the more games
you have like that, the better.
“We have a bunch of multiple-sport
kids so we do not
Township, 2:30 p.m.
Boys Bowling
■Dec. ■ 15 - at Lincoln-Way
Cup, 9 a.m.
Girls Bowling
■Dec. ■ 13 - at Bolingbrook,
4:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 15 - at Lincoln-Way
Cup, 9 a.m.
Wrestling
■Dec. ■ 13 - host Sandburg,
5 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 14 - at Lockport, 5
p.m.
Boys Swimming and
Diving
■Dec. ■ 14 - at Neuqua Valley
Invite, 5:30 p.m.
■Dec. ■ 15 - at Neuqua Valley
Invite, 10 a.m.
Girls Competitive Dance
■Dec. ■ 16 - at Stagg Dance
Competition, TBA
get together in the summer
as a group, so that’s always
a struggle every year. We’re
trying to find chemistry and
who should be out there and
things like that. But they’re
great kids, they work hard
and they have good basketball
IQs, so I expect them to
keep getting better.”
Starting with the South-
West Suburban Conference
Red Division opener last
Friday, Dec. 7 at Bradley-
Bourbonnais, the Knights
have a plethora of games in
a 2-week span. On Tuesday,
Dec. 11 they hosted Andrew
and then on Thursday, Dec.
13, at 6:15 p.m. they travel
to Stagg for another SWSC
Red matchup. Then on Saturday,
Dec. 15 there’s a 4;30
p.m. nonconference game at
Minooka.
Next week, at 6 p.m. on
Monday, Dec. 17, the Chicago
Agricultural Science
High School comes to town.
The week ends with a local
SWSC crossover showdown
at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec.
21 at Lincoln-Way East.