Neuqua Valley's Callahan getting comfortable in new role
Megan Callahan has some big shoes to fill this winter.
The Neuqua Valley junior guard is being counted on to fill some of the scoring and leadership void left by the graduation of Division I guards Myia Starks and Kai Moon.
That's a lot to ask of someone who has one season as a varsity reserve under her belt.
"I have a huge role to step into," Callahan said. "I have to work on my leadership.
"There needs to be that one person to build it up and I feel like that's my role, to get everyone up. It may start with one person but it ends with however the team does."
Things started well Tuesday night when Callahan sank a pair of 3-pointers to give the Wildcats an early 11-7 lead over Oak Park.
Callahan ended up with five 3-pointers and a team-high 17 points, but it wasn't enough as Oak Park rolled to a 68-47 win at the Hinsdale South Thanksgiving Tournament.
"We have a lot of young kids," Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams said. "You can tell. We got it to within 8, so (we have to) finish."
The Wildcats (1-3) used a 13-4 run to pull within 49-41 on Callahan's final 3-pointer with 2:12 left in the third quarter. But the Huskies (2-1) used a full-court press to force six turnovers during a 16-4 run to pull away.
Despite the third-quarter burst the game was lost in the second quarter when the Huskies made a defensive adjustment.
"Our depth and pressure got to them," Oak Park coach JP Coughlin said. "They're so well-coached. They tore apart our press early, so we got off our zone press."
The Huskies rode the hot hand of 6-1 power forward Blair Ripley, who scored 15 of her game-high 21 points in the first half to help Oak Park to a 41-25 halftime lead. The senior, one of the few experienced players on the floor for either team, also had 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
"I think playing a third game helped," Coughlin said. "Besides Blair and (senior point guard) Molly (Cullinane), (our players) haven't played varsity.
"These are a lot of new kids and they get a little better every game. Coming out and playing an energetic first half I think was key."
The Wildcats are even more inexperienced. Forwards Megan Keefer and Makinzie DeHaan are the only seniors, with Keefer the only player with more than one year of starting experience.
But there were some highlights. Junior Rachel Tait had 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, and sophomore Ashley Ishman added 10 points and 2 steals.
"We've just got to be patient," Williams said. "I've done this long enough.
"We're not playing any easy teams. We're just going to have to gut it out, stay positive and hopefully be all right."