Sports

Girls Basketball: Frigo, Durkin Rally Mother McAuley Past Stagg

Mother McAuley 44, Stagg 37: Sharon Frigo and Susie Durkin worked an inside-outside game in the third-quarter of the Mighty Macs' come-from-behind victory on Tuesday in Palos Hills.

The Skinny: Mother McAuley played an inside-outside game in the third quarter of its 44-37 girls basketball victory over Stagg on Tuesday in Palos Hills. The Mighty Macs’ 5-11 Sharon Frigo powered her way to the basket, scoring six of her team-high 10 points. Susie Durkin benefited from Frigo’s work near the basket. Durkin found herself free on the perimeter. And she connected on a three-pointer to give McAuley a 33-31 lead—its first lead of the game—with 2:28 remaining. The Mighty Macs trailed 18-9 in the first quarter and 28-24 at the end of the first half.

Patch’s MVP: Sharon Frigo, 5-11, junior, forward, Mother McAuley. Frigo made 5-of-9 shots and scored 10 points. She also grabbed two rebounds and clogged the middle on defense for the Mighty Macs.

Key Stats: Mother McAuley used ball-pressure to hound Stagg with its man-to-man defense in the second half. The Mighty Macs limited the Chargers to three points on 1-of-10 shooting in the third quarter. Susie Durkin scored all nine of her points on three-pointers. She hit 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

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Mother McAuley Leaders: Sharon Frigo (10 points, 2 rebounds), Susie Durkin (9 points, 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range), Tiffany Fortune (6 points, 10 rebounds), Kristen Kleist (6 points, 2 threes).

Stagg Leaders: Kara Pietrowski (3 three-pointers, game-high 11 points), Revi McMahon (9 points), Casey McMahon (8 points, 3 rebounds).

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Quotable I: “We preach defense,” Mother McAuley coach Karen Ade said. “In the first half, our defense wasn’t where it needed to be. We don’t give up 28 points in a half normally. Offensively, we just had to settle down. We had some unforced turnovers. We knew once we tightened up our defense and took care of the basketball we’d be OK. And I think that’s what we did in the second half.”

Quotable II: “We were just working as a team, looking to see who was open,” Mighty Macs junior forward Sharon Frigo said. “And the post ended up being open.”

Quotable III:  “I think we came out a little flustered,” Mother McAuley’s Susie Durkin said. “I don’t think our mindset was totally with it. Then, we got it together and picked up our defense.”

Quotable IV: “They play with a lot of effort, a lot of enthusiasm,” Stagg coach Bill Turner said of his girls. “They bring a lot of energy to the game. So, if we can get that for four quarters, I think we’re going to be able to battle and stay with most teams. I’m looking forward to getting into conference play and seeing how we go from here.”

Team Records: Mother McAuley is 2-4. Stagg is 2-2.

Next: Mother McAuley returns to action Friday and Saturday in the Maine West Tournament. Stagg is at Lincoln-Way West on Dec. 8.

Coming Wednesday: The coaching wife gets the better of it vs. her coaching husband. Log on at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to learn how basketball is a way of life at the Ades' house.


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