St. Edward disposes of Rosary
Most schools want nothing to do with Burlington Central, and for good reason. After reaching the Class 3A Elite Eight in 2013, the Rockets are 23-4, the top seed in their regional and have dominated nearly every opponent on their schedule behind a lethal offense and suffocating defense.
But St. Edward isn't one of the teams that fears Burlington Central and it's easy to see why. The Green Wave are playing their best basketball of the season at just the right time, winning six straight games and eight of their last nine after getting starting center Cece Rapp back from injury.
The most recent victory, a 60-36 romp over Rosary Wednesday, catapulted second-seeded St. Edward into a regional final showdown with the Rockets at noon Saturday at Aurora Central Catholic.
St. Edward guard Madelyn Spagnola said her team can't wait to take the challenge that Burlington Central poses.
"We're very excited for the game," Spagnola said. "It will be a lot of fun. Our defense needs to be really strong against them. We played well as a team today. That kind of teamwork will help us on Saturday."
The energetic 5-foot-3 freshman certainly showed no fear in her first regional appearance on Wednesday. Spagnola poured in a season-high 25 points to propel St. Edward (19-8) to its third victory in three tries against its Suburban Christian Conference rival.
With Rosary's defense clogging the lane and double-teaming the 6-foot-3 Rapp around the basket, Spagnola received numerous open looks on the perimeter in the first half. She buried a pair of 3-pointers and a midrange jumper in the first quarter to push the Green Wave to an early 11-0 lead that forced Rosary (13-14) to play catch-up the rest of the night.
"She's a really good freshman," Rosary coach Jessie Wilcox said of Spagnola. "Being all-conference as a freshman is an amazing accomplishment. She can handle the ball, shoot it, pass it and defend. You can't start a regional game down 11-0. It takes too much energy to come back from that kind of deficit."
Rosary did rally to draw within 18-14, but the Green Wave expanded their margin to 27-16 by halftime, then blew the game open in the third quarter. St. Edward cranked up its defensive pressure, causing 8 turnovers with an active 2-3 zone and converting those miscues into 10 fast-break points, 6 coming from Spagnola. A 16-0 spurt turned a 29-18 lead into a 45-18 advantage that allowed St. Edward to begin thinking about Burlington Central and a shot at the regional title.
"I was very pleased with our unselfishness in the second half," St. Edward coach Michelle Dawson said, pointing to Rapp's 12 points and Clarissa Ramos' 10. "I was also pleased with how the girls defended and responded in the second half after we didn't stop their penetration at times in the first half."
Dawson said that unselfish play and commitment to defense will be crucial to the Green Wave's hopes against Burlington Central.
"It's going to take balance and effort from the girls," she said. "We've got a defensive challenge ahead of us. They've got girls who can score and read the floor well. It'll take a total team effort for us."
Senior guard Rachel Choice paced Rosary with 13 points, including 7 in the first quarter, in her final game with the Royals. Her senior backcourt mate, Emily Bakala, added 6 points. Rosary returns most of its roster from a young squad that gained valuable experience against a difficult schedule this season.