Glenbard South falls to Marian Catholic
Glenbard South junior guard Lauren Cohen had to wait until the third quarter of Monday's game against Marian Catholic before getting what every sharpshooter covets - an uncontested jumper.
Cohen's shooting was one of the few bright spots for the Raiders in the 30th annual Coach Kipp's Hoopsfest.
Cohen buried three 3-pointers in the third quarter to finish with 12 points in a 45-26 defeat to Marian Catholic at Timothy Christian High School in Elmhurst.
"I never really had (room to) shoot," Cohen said.
Cohen hit 3 of her team-high four 3s in a two-plus minute span to help the Raiders (15-5) avoid the dreaded 30-point running clock in the third. She swished a pair of 3s on consecutive possessions to lower the deficit to 34-15, accounting for 12 of her team's 15 points. The Raiders finished with eight 3-pointers.
In fact the Raiders' first 18 points all came on 3s. Meanwhile, the Spartans' transition offense led to numerous fast-break baskets to help build an insurmountable 31-6 lead in the third quarter. The Spartans (18-6) broke the game open with a 21-0 run that spanned three quarters, which ended on Cohen's 3-pointer at the 6:11 mark of the third quarter.
Cohen said the tough loss should help the Raiders prepare for the Class 3A playoffs.
"This is good competition, for what we will see in the playoffs, teams like that, really aggressive and physical," Cohen said. "This is good help for us. ... We haven't lost like this in awhile, kind of a tough loss. I think we didn't start off strong and couldn't come back."
The Spartans' full-court pressure bothered the Raiders in the first half, limiting them to 6 first-half points. Marian Catholic's length and athleticism also played a big part in Glenbard South's struggles in its half-court offense.
The Spartans' perimeter defense forced the Raiders to rush shots, leading to a low percentage on 3-point attempts. The Spartans tallied seven blocked shots, including several on 3-point attempts, in the first nine minutes.
"They were good," Glenbard South coach Morgan Eufrasio said. "They hit every 3 and a layup. They are a good basketball team. They run hard, are big, are strong and athletic. ... We felt their length and rushed our shots a bit, but credit to them, they made us rush our shots. We were definitely intimidated by them. We had a good third quarter, but this (game) is where you challenge yourself."
Marian Catholic freshman guard Brianna Hill scored a game-high 13 points, and 6-foot-3 junior center Jalynn Alexander was a force in the post, especially on the defensive end.