Gross, Downers Grove North regain focus
Downers Grove North point guard Ellie Gross was in a foul mood following Saturday's loss to Downers Grove South.
Gross was plagued by foul trouble and eventually fouled out in the fourth quarter of a game the Trojans could have won.
Monday found Gross and her teammates in much better spirits. Gross tallied 12 of her game-high 14 points in the first half and added 3 assists and 3 rebounds to lead host Downers North to a 49-25 win over IC Catholic Prep.
After missing her first shot, Gross sank 6 of her next 8 attempts, including a pair of 3-pointers.
"I definitely wanted to be aggressive, but so does everybody on our team," Gross said. "Whoever has got the hot hand, we're looking for them all night. And it just happened to be me tonight."
Gross began the game by setting up a 3-pointer by guard Lauren Sebek, who then assisted center Jaylyn Harris on a three-point play.
After that Gross took over, finding the range from the perimeter as well as driving for a pair of layups. She had 8 points in the first quarter to give the Trojans (8-4) a 16-10 lead and helped get the Knights (4-8) in serious foul trouble.
"If we could just keep people on the floor without fouling it would be a different game," said ICCP coach Kelsey James, who had three starters pick up 3 fouls in the first half. "But we picked up too many fouls and we're sitting people most of the game."
The Trojans took advantage in the second quarter, outscoring the Knights 12-3. Gross and Harris began the third quarter with layups to extend the lead to 32-13.
"Ellie always helps us," Harris said. "She looks for open players.
"She's a really team-first player. Not only does she get to the hoop, she gets other players looks."
That includes the 6-foot-3 Harris, who scored 12 points to go with 5 rebounds.
"I think me and Ellie have a good guard-post relationship," Harris said. "She knows where I want the ball and she throws it higher because I'm a taller person."
The Trojans stood tall defensively, as they often do. They forced ICCP into 30 turnovers, including 10 in the third quarter, while committing only 6 turnovers thanks to the rock-steady ballhandling of Gross, Sebek and Julia Kramper.
"We came together after that loss (to Downers South)," Gross said. "We whipped each other up to get the win tonight."
Gross was the instigator with her aggressive play while at the same time providing unselfish leadership.
"We definitely missed her on Saturday when she fouled out," Downers North coach Stephan Bolt said. "She's starting to see a little bit of everything. She's becoming a little bit of a scorer and she can certainly facilitate, get other kids shots, too.
"The thing that's great about our team, and I think her too, is if she makes shots (or not), it doesn't matter. She's just as happy passing and having her teammates be successful and knocking down shots too."
Claire Wagner and Juanita Herrera paced ICCP with 6 points each.