Girls Basketball: Sharing paves way for Stagg

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Updated: May 9, 2012 10:12AM

Stagg doesn’t have a lot of height.

There isn’t a double-digit scorer to be found on the roster.

What the Chargers do have is victories. They also have a chance to make history.

Tuesday’s showdown against Andrew will end with the winner having the upper hand in the SouthWest Suburban Red race.

Stagg has never won an SWSC title.

“We’ve had quite a turnaround just from a year ago,” Chargers coach Bill Turner said. “I’m very happy and excited for our players and the way they have gone about handling themselves this season.”

Stagg and defending champion Andrew are tied at the top of the SWSC Red with 7-1 records. Lincoln-Way North is lurking right behind at 6-2.

Sophomore guard Casey McMahon is the Chargers’ leading scorer at 8.2 points per game, just ahead of junior Revi McMahon (7.6). Senior Maggie Yandel is the top rebounder (5.4) and also leads the team in steals (40).

The Chargers (13-5) don’t score a lot, but they don’t give up a lot of points either, as illustrated in a 40-37 victory over Lincoln-Way North on Jan. 18.

“Sharing the basketball and making the extra pass to an open teammate has produced great results,” Turner said. “We are rebounding with our opponents despite being vertically challenged, playing excellent defense, and we’re taking pretty good care of the basketball.

“Players are overachieving. They are sacrificing individual play in lieu of what is in the best interest of the team.”

Bouncing back

Last year Lincoln-Way East coach Jim Martin tried a gimmick defense against Bolingbrook. It didn’t work.

This year he tried something different.

“We tried to approach Bolingbrook as another game knowing it was a big challenge for us,” he said. “I thought the girls played well but we got manhandled on the boards.”

The 78-48 loss was the Griffins’ second of the season, coming only a few days after they fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in a 65-55 loss to Geneva at the McDonald’s Shootout at Willowbrook.

In between, they beat New Trier 58-53 as Caitlin McMahon scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

“In each of those game we played with lots of energy and effort,” Martin said. “We were composed playing against three top teams in the Chicago area and that was nice to see.”