Girls Basketball: Loyola seniors collect elusive regional crown

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Evanston, 02/17/12 Loyola's Colleen McShane passes to a teammate in the paint during their regional final against Evanston Feb. 17. | Curtis Lehmkuhl~Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 24, 2012 8:35AM

Lauren Kriz and Michelle Ricolcol came into Friday’s regional final at Evanston with more than 50 wins in the bag during their three varsity seasons.

But the Loyola seniors had zero regional titles.

That all changed with the Ramblers’ 46-31 win over the host Wildkits, giving the program its first regional championship since 2009.

“Lauren said in the huddle before the start of the fourth quarter, ‘We aren’t going to lose this thing,’ ” said Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker, whose team won a second regional championship in his four seasons at the school. “They showed just how much in the fourth quarter they didn’t want to let anything slip away.”

Kriz scored the first four points of a 9-0 run that sent Loyola on its way to the win. No. 14-ranked and fourth-seeded Loyola (23-7) outscored sixth-seeded Evanston 19-7 in the final eight minutes.

“It feels really, really good,” said Ricolcol, who scored seven of her 13 points in the decisive fourth quarter, including a clutch three-point play followed by a steal and basket. “In the first half, we were a little jittery. In the second half, we were back to normal, and we settled down. We had to keep our foot on their throat.”

In fact, all of the team’s seniors had their fingerprints all over the win.

From Kriz and Ricolcol, to K.C. Stralka and Colleen McShane, to Mary Kate O’Malley, each played a part in the victory.

“Once the playoffs got closer, we started talking about a regional title,” Schoenecker said. “It was something we wanted to make sure those five girls got.”

One of the biggest shots of the fourth quarter came from the team’s only freshman. Sarah Elston’s three-pointer from the corner extended Loyola’s advantage to 34-26.

“The coaches kept telling me to focus on my shot, and I kept that in the back of my mind,” the 6-foot Elston said. “It worked out well.”

Elston was happy to win a regional title for the seniors.

“That’s who we have played for all season,” she said. “We don’t want the season to end. Everything we do is for them.”

Kriz kept Loyola in the game during the first half. The senior scored seven points as the Ramblers went into halftime down 17-16.

The back-and-forth third quarter eventually went to the Ramblers, who led 27-24 going into the fourth.

Evanston’s Sierra Clayborn scored 11 of her team-best 12 points in the first half. Loyola held the sophomore scoreless in the fourth. Alecia Cooley, a 6-2 junior, finished with 10 points.

Kriz, who entered the week with 53 career wins under her belt, finished with a game-high 14 points.

“All the seniors contributed to this game in many different ways,” Schoenecker said.