Glenbrook South’s Makayla Stadler and Lizzy Shaw (No. 12) converge on Evanston’s Jayla Turchin. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER
It turned into a “what just happened?” game for Glenbrook South.
Facing a tough Evanston squad on their home court on Dec. 5, the Titans were looking pretty good for two quarters.
And then … things totally unraveled.
“It got away from us — fast,” said GBS head coach Steve Weissenstein.
The Wildkits (6-3, 2-0) went on a 19-0 run to start the third quarter and cruised to a 54-31 CSL South victory.
“It was one of those nights,” Weissenstein said.
“[But] they’re good. They have a lot of weapons. They play really good defense. They out-rebounded us. They got every loose ball. They flat-out out-played us,” the veteran coach added. “We needed someone to step up and make some big shots. We didn’t get that tonight.”
And yet, the Titans (6-2, 1-1) went stride-for-stride with the fast-paced Wildkits during the first 16 minutes of the game. They trailed by only two points, 20-18, with 42 seconds left in the second period.
Senior guard Lizzy Shaw, who will play college basketball at the University of Chicago, scored all 10 of her team-high 10 points in the first half.
Makayla Stadler, who play college soccer at Villanova University, finished the game with nine points, four rebounds and four steals.
The team’s top rebounder was newcomer Kristin Ralston, daughter of GBS’s new head boys basketball coach Phil Ralston. Despite missing a big chunk of the first half with foul trouble, the 6-foot junior pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
“She’s been a very nice addition,” said Weissenstein, noting that she led the team in scoring during the team’s five-game set at the recent Mundelein Thanksgiving Tournament. “She plays well inside and outside. A very physical player.”
Evanston was led by TaMia Banks (10 points).
In earlier action this season, GBS earned a league win over Niles West on Dec. 1 after falling to host Maine West on Nov. 28.
The Titans went 5-0 at Mundelein. Four players earned all-tourney honors: Shaw, Stadler, Liz LaPierre and Libbie Vanderveen.
Meanwhile, at the next level, GBS grad Carie Weinman came off the bench and fired in 34 points in an 80-73 victory over visiting Northern Arizona on Dec. 3. The freshman guard made 8-of-13 three-pointers to rally the Pioneers (5-4), who trailed by 13 points late in first half.
Weinman, a four-year starter for GBS, currently has the third best three-point shooting percentage (.594) in NCAA Division I women’s basketball. She is averaging 9.2 points and 12.6 minutes per game.
Also, at Valparaiso University, GBS grad Caitlin Morrison has made six starts and is averaging 5.8 points and 5.8 rebounds. The sophomore forward leads the Crusaders (3-3) in blocked shots (9) and steals (8).
And, at Emory University, junior center Ashley Oldshue is averaging a team-best 19.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She is shooting 61 percent from the field for the 5-3 Eagles. Last winter, the GBS grad averaged 16.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.
Makayla Stadler and Lizzy Shaw fight for a rebound against Evanston. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER
GBS’s Kristin Ralson drives past an Evanston defender. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER
Challen Flaws of the Titans defends Evanston’s Delaney Brooks. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER