Girls Basketball: Stagg defense puts clamps on Oak Forest
Updated: January 3, 2012 8:38PM
Stagg employed a box-and-1 defense Tuesday against Oak Forest with the intention of slowing down Bengals three-point shooting ace Katie Swanson.
The host Chargers got a lot more than they bargained for in a 36-30 victory.
Their well-played zone not only had the No. 10 Bengals flinging up the ball from the perimeter in total frustration, it also resulted in a slew of contested layups that were off the mark.
Add to that some particularly good marksmanship on the part of Stagg sophomore Casey McMahon, and it was the perfect formula for the Chargers to avenge a 52-50 loss to Oak Forest in the consolation title game at the Hillcrest Holiday Classic.
“This was our house. And even though it was nonconference, we wanted to redeem ourselves for losing to them before,” McMahon said.
McMahon finished with 13 points, while Alexa Janus added five. Revi McMahon and Ali Conrad had five rebounds each for Stagg (7-5).
Kelly McEathron and Courtney Kachlik led the Bengals (8-7) with seven points each.
In effect, McMahon beat Oak Forest at its own game.
The 5-foot-7 guard hit a trio of three-pointers over the first three quarters to keep the Chargers in it, then went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in a fourth quarter during which Stagg outscored Oak Forest 9-4.
“She’s starting to shoot the ball a little bit better,” Stagg coach Bill Turner said. “We were hoping she’d get going. She’s been struggling a little bit from the perimeter, but today she knocked some down, including some free throws.”
It was Stagg’s defense, though, that ultimately took down the Bengals, who were 0-for-14 from three-point range and missed myriad layups. Leading 24-23 with 1:42 remaining in the third period, they were just 3-for-17 from the field the rest of the way.
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