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St. Viator's seniors go out in style with win over Lakes

Senior Night can be an emotional experience for a player.

Monday evening in Arlington Heights the two seniors on the St. Viator roster, Elise Bollard and Michele Maslowski, shook off any butterflies to make a big contribution to a Lions win.

Maslowski had 7 points and 6 rebounds and Bollard posted a bucket and 6 boards as Viator defeated visiting Lakes 50-34 in a nonconference girls basketball matchup.

"It was nice to have my teammates out here supporting me," said Maslowski. "It's been a fun four years, but it's a little bittersweet that soon it'll be coming to an end."

Sophomore Joy Bergstrom led the Lions with 13 points, while Grace Sullivan scored 10 points for the Eagles.

Lakes shook off a shaky performance from the free-throw line in the first two quarters and made a big comeback after intermission.

"We shot 1-for-10 from the line in the first half," said Eagles coach Brian Phelan. "If we had shot close to our usual 70 percent, it would have been a close game."

The Lions broke out to a big early lead helped along by 6 points from junior forward Aubrey Horbach.

A late first half 3-pointer from Addilyn Stephens brought Lakes to within 9 with seconds left in the first half, but then Bergstrom sank a long 3 at the buzzer to put Viator up by 27-15 at the break.

"We were making silly turnovers," said Eagles junior guard Rosie Tekampe. "At halftime we talked about playing better, moving the ball better and making our shots - our shots just weren't falling."

Lakes made its first 6 foul shots of the third quarter and when Sullivan, a senior, sank 2 free throws late in the period, the Eagles trailed by only 6.

Then Viator junior Kate Peterson hit two consecutive 3s from the corner to open the final stanza and the Lions' lead was back to double digits.

"We dug deep and did what we had to do in the fourth quarter," said Peterson, "because we saw that the lead was shrinking."

Maslowski then followed up with another clutch 3, teammate Louisa Battin had a rebound on the defensive end and a layup moments later, and Lakes couldn't get any closer.

"We saw what we need to tweak tonight," said Tekampe. "We'll learn from the mistakes we made, go back to practice and work on them so that we don't make them in the next game."

Sydney Zellman added 9 points for Lakes, Tekampe scored 6, while Horbach and Peterson each finished with 6 for Viator.

Peterson added that she and her teammates really appreciate the stellar efforts of the senior honorees, Maslowski, Bollard, and team assistant Aisling Finnegan, who is a star lacrosse player for the Lions.

"They are the most supportive people on this team," said Peterson. "They're always the first ones to congratulate you when you come off the court, and if you make a mistake, they're the first ones to say 'hey, it's OK.' "

"I'm just lucky to have such great teammates," said Bollard. "It's been a good four years, it's sad to see that it's coming to a close, but we've got the playoffs coming up and we're a good team so let's see what we can do."

  St. Viator's Elise Bollard, left, and Lakes' Kendall Phelan (11) get tangled up chasing a loose ball during Monday's girls basketball game in Arlington Heights. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Lakes' Rosemary Tekampe (23) goes up for a shot guarded by St. Viator's Keely McClellan, left, and Aubrey Horbach during Monday's girls basketball game in Arlington Heights. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  St. Viator's Gabby Brown (3) looks to pass around Lakes' Ashlyn Bledsoe during Monday's girls basketball game in Arlington Heights. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Lakes' Ashlyn Bledsoe (22) is pressured by St. Viator's Emma Morrisey, left, Keely McClellan (11) and Nora Ahram during Monday's girls basketball game in Arlington Heights. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  St. Viator's Brooke Davis (24) pulls down a rebound during Monday's girls basketball game against Lakes in Arlington Heights. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  St. Viator's Keely McClellan (11) knocks the ball away from Lakes' Grace Sullivan during Monday's girls basketball game in Arlington Heights. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Lakes' Rosemary Tekampe passes under heavy St. Viator's pressure during Monday's girls basketball game in Arlington Heights. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
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