Girls Basketball: McMahon Sisters Push Stagg Past L-W North

The Skinny: Go ahead, say it out loud. Two McMahons are better than one. Revi McMahon teamed with sister Casey McMahon to lead Stagg in a 40-37 girls basketball victory over Lincoln-Way North on Tuesday night in Frankfort. Revi, a  junior guard, hit the first of two free throws with 12.6 seconds left to snap a 37-37 deadlock. Then, after she missed the second shot, Casey grabbed the rebound. On the ensuing inbounds play, Revi passed the ball back to Casey under the basket for a layup with :08 remaining and the Chargers led 40-37. Lincoln-Way North’s Taylor Boardman missed a desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Patch’s MVP: Revi McMahon, 5-5, junior guard, Stagg. She scored seven points and helped the Chargers milk the clock in the fourth quarter with her superb ball handling. And her last pass went down in the books as the game's biggest assist.

Key Moments: Stagg’s Maggie Yandel came up with back-to-back steals in the third quarter as the Chargers dialed up their pressure defense and rallied from a 24-16 deficit. Lincoln-Way North built its eight-point lead using a big lineup that featured Taylor Boardman (6-0), Stephanie Pearson (5-8) and Ellen Graham (6-2).

Stagg Leaders: Casey McMahon (14 points, 4 3-pointers, 7 rebounds), Maggie Yandel (8 points, 6 in the second half), Revi McMahon (7 points), Carrie Sinclair (4 points, 2-for-2 shooting), Alexa Janus (1 3-pointer, 2 rebounds).

Lincoln-Way North Leaders: Taylor Boardman (13 points, 10 rebounds, 1 blocked shot), Stephanie Pearson (7 points, 3-of-5 shooting), Sam Pietruszynski (6 points, 2 3-pointers), Leigh Larocco (5 points), Ashley Weringa (5 points).

Quotable I: “Casey knew that they knew she was going to go around for the 3,” Stagg’s Revi McMahon said of her assist to her sister for a layup with 8 seconds remaining. “So, she faked the girl out, and she went for the layup. We have this sister thing. I knew she was going to go, and she made the 2.”

Quotable II: “We decided to turn up the pressure defense and that helped us out,” Stagg coach Bill Turner said of the Chargers’ third-quarter turnaround. “I think Maggie Yandel had two steals in a row there. She made a bucket and got fouled on another one. So, that helped bring us back. And, then, the McMahon sisters had a little telepathy going on between the two of them. We ran the same play both times. But they were smart enough to know, ‘Hey, they’re going to think we’re running the same thing.’ Casey cut to the basket and got a good pass. It was a great job, a great team effort.”

Quotable III: “I felt like we didn’t have the intensity we needed to win a conference game like this,” Jim Nair said. "We had a couple defensive breakdowns. And they executed their half-court offense well and hit a couple big shots. We didn't respond."

Team Records: Stagg is 11-5 and 5-1 in the Southwest Suburban Red. The Chargers have won five straight. Lincoln-Way North slipped to 15-5 and 5-2.

What’s Next: Stagg plays host to Lincoln-Way West at 6 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 19). Lincoln-Way North takes on Bradley-Bourbonnais at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 19) in Frankfort.