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Maine West's Fallon faces transition in smooth fashion

To say junior Alisa Fallon has doubled the fun for the Maine West girls basketball program has a few meanings.

Not only has she helped lead the Warriors to a 19-3 record after a 67-47 win over visiting Brooks (Chicago) on Saturday, she has recorded quite a few double-doubles on the court as well as a triple-double this winter.

Saturday, she shared team scoring honors with sophomore Rachel Kent (14 points apiece) while also collecting 14 rebounds and 5 assists.

But the individual numbers are the last thing on Fallon's mind.

"I don't worry about getting points or rebounds." she said. "I love winning. The best stats around are how many games you are win."

And when Fallon is around, there are a lot of wins.

A two-year starter at Trinity, Fallon's teams won more than 20 games each season and she played in the Class 4A state finals last year for the Blazers, who lost to eventual state champ Benet in the semifinals.

This season, she has helped get the Warriors on the brink of a 20-win season.

And it helps that she has gained a little sleeping time in the morning.

"I had to wake up 45 minutes earlier for my drive to River Forest," said the A-honor roll student with a career 4.0 GPA. "This has definitely been better for my health. I'm getting more sleep and don't have to stay up as late doing my homework. It's been a big positive impact."

And she has been a positive impact with her new teammates.

Well, not exactly 'new.' Fallon played with Rachel Kent, Catherine Johnson, Allison Pearson and Gabriela Alvarado in park district basketball. And under the guidance of the recently deceased coach Derril Kipp, Fallon joined Johnson and Pearson on the Illinois Hustle.

"So it wasn't a big transition," Fallon said. "It was just a matter of getting back and acclimated."

And there has been another smooth transition Fallon has made.

"She has really transitioned into a perimeter player for us," said first-year head coach Kim deMarigny. "When she came to us, she was an inside player."

Of course, Fallon had no qualms making the switch.

"I knew I was going to have to play a lot of different roles," she said. "And that was OK because I am willing to do whatever it takes to win."

"She's very unselfish," deMarigny added. "She is a player who sees the court well. She looks for her teammates. She has great potential and will do amazing things in college. Not that she isn't doing them here already."

On Saturday, she scored a layup off the opening tip and West never looked back while racing to a 16-0 lead less than four minutes five minutes into the game. All five West starters scored during the shutout run.

Kent also grabbed 9 rebounds while junior Jessica Riedl and freshman Angela Dugalic each chipped in 8 points.

Pearson, senior Acacia Hernandez and junior Bianca Mando each added 5 points while sophomores Vanessa Reyes and Jocelyn Jacob had 4 apiece.

Dugalic scored 6 of her 8 points in the third quarter, the first coming off a nice assist from Kent.

"Angela is really starting to develop and realizing her role," deMarigny added. "She has a lot of potential as well."

The Eagles (9-11) scored all their points from 3-point range or the free throw line until a layup with less than two minutes in the third quarter.

Brooks finished with nine 3-pointers in the game, including four from Jai Clemons who poured home a game-high 24 points.

The Eagles scored 22 points in the final quarter after being limited to 25 in the first three periods.

"We have been doing that all season," said Eagles coach Reggie Dawson. "We are trying to figure out why."

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