Girls Basketball: Loyola’s Kriz delivers knock-out punch to Maine South
BY MATT HARNESS mharness@pioneerlocal.com February 21, 2012 8:42PM
Loyola Academy Anna Schueler (41) Maine South Katy Lohens (43) and Maine South Michelle Maher (41) in the IHSA Class 4A Girls Basketball Sectional semifinal onTuesday, February 2012. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 29, 2012 4:07PM
Lauren Kriz looked like she was punched in the face.
Her bruised left eye came courtesy of an elbow last week in Loyola’s regional championsip win over Evanston.
Tuesday, it was the Loyola senior who delivered the knockout blows in the Ramblers’ 42-25 win over top-seeded Maine South in the semifinals of the New Trier Sectional.
Kriz scored seven of her game-high 13 points in the fourth quarter to lead No. 14-ranked and fourth-seeded Loyola (24-7) to its first sectional final since 2009.
“Most teams try and take away Anna (Schueler), and we expect that,” said Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker, whose team avenged an earlier 44-37 loss to the Hawks in January. “But the other girls relish in the fact that they can make plays as well.”
Michelle Maher’s back-to-back three-pointers bridged the third and fourth quarters and got the Hawks (25-7) as close as four, but Kriz kick-started a 7-0 run that effectively put the game away.
Maine South clearly missed 6-foot-3 junior Jacqui Grant, who was out with an ankle injury suffered in the regional final last week. The No. 16 Hawks finished with only eight field goals on the night and went nearly eight minutes without scoring between the second and third quarters. It was the fewest points Maine South scored on the season.
Maher contributed a team-best nine points, while Nina Duric added eight.
“We have the ability to play a low-scoring game like this,” said Loyola junior Schueler, who finished with nine points. “We always rely on our defense first. We know our offense will come eventually.”
Loyola led 12-9 at the half and extended the advantage to 11 after a 13-0 run, highlighted by 5-3 Colleen McShane’s block and ensuing layup.
But Maine South wasn’t ready to give up.
The Hawks rallied at the end of the third quarter with Maher’s banked-in three. The senior followed with another in the first minute of the fourth to leave the Hawks down 22-18.
Loyola is looking for its first sectional championship since 2006 when Tanya Johnson was on the bench. The Ramblers play either Niles West or Glenbrook South on Thursday.
“We are a team, and everybody does something to contribute to our team,” Schueler said. “That’s what makes us so great. We play together.”
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