Girls Basketball: Megan Podkowa leads Trinity past Maine South

Updated: January 28, 2012 5:58PM

Two days after learning its seed and assignment at the Lyons Sectional, Trinity went out and beat one of the top teams in the Chicago area Saturday at the Sweet 16 tournament at Lake Zurich.

The No. 3 Blazers, who landed the second seed behind No. 1-ranked Young, overcame a sluggish start to earn a 44-30 victory over No. 8 Maine South, the top seed at the New Trier Sectional.

“This tournament definitely helps you prepare for the playoffs,” Podkowa said. “We will have played five really good teams to get us ready for the sectionals.”

DePaul-bound Megan Podkowa scored eight of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Blazers (21-1) withstood a late rally by the Hawks (21-5).

Katy Lohens’ three-point play and Kaitlyn Mullarkey’s three-pointer pulled Maine South within six points at 31-25 with 4:22 to go in the game.

But the 6-foot-1 Podkowa powered an 11-2 run that put the game out of reach. She scored six during the stretch and also added a steal that led to a Taylor Nazon layup.

“That’s happened the past couple of games,” Podkowa said of Trinity answering a team’s late run. “It was the same thing against Marian Catholic. They did that to us, and we came right back at them.”

Nazon scored the first five points of the game as Trinity led from start to finish. The junior guard finished with 11 points.

Maine South never got going, but the Hawks never gave up. They trailed by as many as 14 in the second half before embarking on a comeback.

Jacqui Grant, a 6-3 center and Division I recruit, went without a field goal for the first three quarters, but the junior scored seven in the final eight minutes to finish with 11 points.

Western Illinois-bound Michelle Maher was held scoreless as the Hawks lost for the fourth time in five games.

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