Girls Basketball: Loyola solves foul shooting, Jewell Loyd
Loyola held all-stater Jewell Loyd in check and made a living from the free-throw line in a 52-46 win over Niles West Wednesday on the final day of the Suburban Holiday Showcase at Loyola.
The Ramblers (12-4) limited Loyd to just 14 points, and the Notre Dame-bound superstar was 0-for-6 from the field in the fourth quarter.
Loyola also hit 25-of-31 free throws a day after going 8-for-25 from the line in a loss to Proviso East.
“If you can keep Jewell under 20, you are going to have a pretty good chance to win.” Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well (from the free-throw line) yesterday. The girls came in (to work on free throws before the game). We knew we were a better shooting team. Also, we were playing at home, which was a bit nicer for us too.”
Loyola was led by Anna Schueler’s 23 points. The senior went 9-for-9 from the stripe. Freshman Sarah Elston had eight points, senior Michelle Ricolcol six and senior Lauren Kriz five.
Kriz also was the primary defender on Loyd, though she got plenty of help in Loyola’s box-and-one defense.
Loyola led 30-20 at halftime. But Niles West fought back and took a 39-38 lead on Liz Troyk’s three-pointer with 27 seconds remaining in the third.
The lead switched hands in the fourth as Ricolcol converted a free throw to break a 46-46 tie with 1:36 remaining.
Then, with 16 seconds left, Scheuler got open on an inbound play, scored a layup and drew a foul. It was Loyola’s only basket of the fourth quarter. Scheuler’s subsequent free throw put the Ramblers up 50-46.
Troyk and fellow senior Janet Iqal had nine points apiece for Niles West (14-4). Sophomore Dashae Shumate added seven points.
Niles West shot 17 fewer free throws than Loyola.
“You can say what you want about the officials, but we got in a hole in the first half,” Niles West head coach Tony Konsewicz said. “We’ve had a bad start the last four or five games. We’re not coming out in the first quarter real well. We hope to turn that around.”
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