Basketball News & Notes
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We look forward to the 2008-09 season. Please revisit this page.
2007-2008 Season
February 27
Congratulations and best of luck to senior, Nicole Sorrentino, who qualified to participate in the Girls Basketball 3 Point Show Down Contest at the Basketball State Championships! The championships are held in Bloomington Normal at the Red Bird Arena.
February 26, 2008
Marshall presses, Blazers go out
By CYNTHIA WHITE
Season comes to an end with 26 wins
The Trinity basketball team saw its dream of a trip downstate for the inaugural Class 3A State Championship dashed by Marshall 64-47 last week in the River Forest Sectional Final. The Blazers (26-7) were the hosts to the higher seeded and ranked Marshall, but the home-court advantage was not enough against Dorothy Gators' Commandos (23-7). The legendary coach brought a team to Sister Michelle Germanson Athletic Facility with a merciless full-court press and a rapid fire offense that in the end just plain wore out the Blazers. The game opened with Marshall hitting a 3-pointer, which turned out to be the most unusual play of the game for the Commandos. After that, they rarely took a shot away from the lane unless it was at the charity stripe. It quickly became a game of runs for Marshall. Trinity would fight back to get within a point or two, only to see Marshall get some quick inside buckets to pull ahead again. After falling behind by seven points in the first quarter, the Blazers took a one-point lead, 16-15. In the second quarter, the Blazers clawed their way back to get to within one point before the Commandos went on an 8-0 run to finish off the half with a 33-24 lead. The final half opened with the Blazers again trying to close the gap. Treys by both Shakyia Vassar and Monica Albano, who had four for the night, and the inside game of Amanda Macchione tied the game up at 37 in the third quarter. But Marshall responded with another 9-0 run before the Blazers knew what hit them. "It was 37-37. We got the momentum back, but you can't blink your eye for a minute. It was a heartbreaking loss tonight," said Trinity head coach Ed Stritzel after the game. The Blazers tried to stage a comeback in the final period, but the clock and fatigue worked against them. Marshall closed out the game at the line to seal the victory. Sarah Rogers led the Commandos with 20 points, while her teammate, Adrienne GodBold, contributed 19. Albano had a team high 20 points for Trinity, while senior Amanda Macchione finished off her high school career with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. "We knew it was going to be an aggressive game going in, said Macchione. "They're quick and big. We did everything we could." Along with Macchione, Erica Cross played her last game under the boards for the Blazers. After the game, the senior reflected on her career. "It's been great, especially the last two years with coach Ed coming in and treating everyone so well," she said. "Playing with Amanda and Monica, you can't ask for a better team. We wanted to win this game so bad, but sometimes it doesn't work out the way you want. They are going to be great next year. I'll be back to watch." In the state 3-point contest, the Blazers' Nicole Sorrentino qualified to go downstate. "I feel that I'm recognized for a way that I developed my game. I practiced hard on that certain aspect, and it's great to be going downstate," said the senior. The Queen of the Hill will be crowned Saturday in Normal at ISU's Redbird Arena before the Class 4A Girls Basketball State Championship.
February 20, 2008
By TIM STABLEIN
(http://www.pioneerlocal.com/oakpark/sports/802366,op-tringbk-022008-s1.article)
Blazers cruise to regional crown
There was no question about Trinity being the superior team at the Crane Class 3A Regional. The No. 2-seeded Blazers wrapped up the title on Thursday night with a 58-39 crushing of Crane. Trinity played Payton Tuesday night in the semifinal round of the Trinity Sectional. The winner will advance to the sectional title game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against top-seeded Marshall. The sectional winners at Trinity and Grayslake Central advance to the Loyola University Supersectional at 6 p.m. Monday. The score could have been much more lopsided if Trinity coach Ed Stritzel had allowed his starters to play in the second half. The Blazers had the game tucked away in the win column at halftime with a commanding 42-16 lead. "The other team tried to intimidate us by pounding on the locker room walls," Stritzel said. "I just looked at the kids and they were ready to play. I didn't have to say very much. It was nice to get some of the other kids some playing time." Monica Albano led the offensive attack for Trinity with 23 points. "She could have scored 30 easily if I left her in the game," Stritzel said. The Blazers opened regional play on Feb. 12 with a 71-19 win over Prosser. Playing time was limited to only six minutes for the starters in the blowout. Vivi Castellanos had a career-high 17 points for the Blazers.
February 9, 2008
The Blazers defeated St. Francis of
Wheaton, 56 – 37. The Blazers were led by Monica Albano, 19 points and Divinity Brown with 9 points. It was Senior Day at the game and the following seniors were recognized as members of the Varsity Basketball Team: Amanda Macchione, Erica Cross, Nicole Sorrentino and Kelly Grusecki. The Blazers ended their regular season with a record of 23 wins and 6 losses.
February 6, 2008
Congratulations to the Varsity Blazer Basketball Team on their victory over Guerin last night, 66-36. The Blazers were led by Amanda Macchione with 16 points and Monica Albano with 13 points. The Blazers record is 22-6. Their next match is on Saturday, February 9th vs. St. Francis of Wheaton at the Sister Michelle Germanson Athletic Facility. The Freshman will play at Noon, JV at 1:30 p.m. and Varsity at 3 p.m.
J
anuary 30, 2008
BY JOE TROST
Stop, pop and drop.
That’s exactly what Trinity’s Monica Albano did to Mother McAuley - not once, but twice - down the stretch to carry the Blazers to a 65-59 victory Wednesday in semifinal play of the GCAC Red Playoffs. The senior guard drained two huge three-pointers late in the fourth quarter that helped Trinity (23-5) erase a six-point deficit and turn the game in the Blazers’ favor. “I had to make something happen,” said Albano, who finished with a game-high 25 points. “When I got the ball, I knew I was going to shoot and that’s exactly what I did.” Up next for Albano and Co. is Resurrection, which knocked off Loyola 41-40 in the other semifinal. The title game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Trinity in River Forest. “We beat Resurrection earlier in the season, and all we have to do is play the same way we did last time against them,” Albano said. After a back-and-forth first half ended with Trinity holding a 33-32 advantage, Mother McAuley built up a 50-44 third-quarter cushion thanks to Kayla Tisza. The senior scored all eight of her points in the period to spark the Mighty Macs. But despite the overall solid play of Maureen Sullivan (17 points), Sarah Garcia (11 points) and Jen Moriarty (seven points), Mother McAuley struggled in the fourth quarter. That’s when Shakyia Vassar (11 points), Amanda Macchione (11 points) and Divinity Brown (seven points) rose to the occasion along with Albano to help the Blazers outscored Mother McAuley 21-9 over the final eight minutes.
Jan 30th
Career day for Albano
But Blazers unable to upset Whitney Young
By Cynthia White
W. Young 60
Trinity 55
Whitney Young got the best of Trinity on Saturday, but the match-up also brought out the best in Monica Albano. In her team's 60-55 loss, the Trinity junior guard had two career firsts: 29 points and seven 3-pointers. "It took me a while to get warmed up, but once I was, I felt on," said Albano after the game. The Blazers (19-5) were very upbeat despite the loss to the highly-ranked Dolphins. "We felt we gave a great effort and pushed it through," said Shakyia Vassar, who had three buckets from behind the arc in the loss.Whitney Young (21-2) started the game with a 10-0 run until two free throws from Amanda Macchione got the Blazers on the scoreboard. After that, Albano started to connect with her shots. She scored the first of her seven 3-pointers late in the quarter "We were down 10-0. We had to pick it up or it would be a blowout. We knew we were better than that," said Albano of her team's shaky start. The Blazers' outside game went into high gear, but they still had a hard time stopping the Dolphins from scoring under the basket. The second quarter had Trinity in full catch-up mode. Vassar connected with a 3-pointer that was answered with back-to-back treys by Albano. A late 11-2 run by the Blazers cut the deficit to one point, but Whitney Young was able to head into the locker room with the advantage, 33-30. Albano already had four 3-pointers and 17 points by the break.The second half started with Albano still in the 3-point zone. She hit another two in a row, followed by one from Vassar that gave the Blazers their first lead of the game. Trinity clung to a two-point lead going into the final quarter. Throughout the contest, the Dolphins' Ashlee Anderson had numerous unsuccessful attempts at the charity stripe. She was 7-of-17, but made five in the final minutes to give her team the edge it needed to win the game. Anderson finished with 20 points. Vassar finished with nine points. Macchione, who chipped in eight points, commented on the game, "We were definitely the underdogs. We played hard, and it was anyone's game." The tough battle under the boards saw Erica Cross come away with six rebounds and three blocked shots for Trinity. The Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Tournament began this week and is set to wrap-up at Trinity on Saturday (5:30 p.m.). "The GCAC is in our house, and we are very excited to defend our title," said Trinity head coach Ed Stritzel.
Jan. 30
By TIM STABLEIN Staff Writer
The Trinity basketball team is one win away from a much-anticipated rematch with Loyola Academy with the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division Tournament title on the line. The No. 2-seeded Blazers (20-5) opened tournament play on Monday night with a 56-49 win over No. 7-seeded Queen of Peace. The Blazers will play No. 3-seeded Mother McAuley in a semifinal round game at 7 p.m. today at Trinity. The first game has top-seeded Loyola playing Resurrection. The two winners advance to the title game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in River Forest. Trinity junior Monica Albano had 21 points in the tournament opener. Albano was recognized before the game for going over the 1,200-point mark in her career. She also has 200-plus career steals and assists. The Blazers were unable to hold on to a late fourth-quarter lead on Saturday in a 60-55 loss to Whitney Young (21-2) in a nonconference game. "What a game," Trinity coach Ed Stritzel said. "It was probably the best game we played all year. I was very confident going into the game because we have been playing very well. I'm not happy we lost (but) we proved we can play with any team in the state." Trinity went up 50-45 after Albano sank a free throw with 5 minutes, 6 seconds to play in the game. "I thought we just needed to make one more shot at that point to put the game away," Stritzel said. The Dolphins erased the deficit and went up to stay at 54-50 after scoring nine unanswered points. The Blazers pulled within 57-55 on a three-point field goal by Shakyia Vassar (9 points) with 22 seconds left on the clock. Young was able to keep the Blazers from inching any closer thanks to Charise Jenkins hitting 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch. The Blazers were very sluggish in the early going, falling behind 10-0 at the start and 29-19 with three minutes to play in the second quarter. "We might have been a little intimidated at the start," Stritzel said. "I called a timeout and from that time on we played very well, and gave Whitney Young everything we had." "We knew we were better than that," Albano said. "We had to pick it up. It took me a while to get warmed up and get some confidence going in my shooting." The Blazers went on an 8-0 run to pull within 33-30 at halftime. The run started with a three-point field goal by Albano, who finished the game with 29 points. Albano had a career-best seven three-point field goals against the Dolphins. Trinity put together a 10-point spurt to take its first lead of the game at 43-37 late in the third quarter. Amanda Macchione chipped in with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers.
Monday, January 28th
Trinity 56, Queen of Peace 49: Monica Albano's 21 points helped the No. 13 Blazers (20-5) get past Peace in the GCAC Red playoffs.
Monica scored her 1200th point tonight as a Blazer. She also has over 200 steals and 200 assists. The Blazers next opponent in the GCAC Tournament is Mother McAuley on Wednesday, January 30th at 7 p.m. in the Sister Michelle Germanson Athletic Facility.
January 19
The Trinity Blazers Basketball Team defeated Harlan High School at the Sister Michelle Germanson Athletic Facility, 74-44. The leading scorers for the Blazers were Monica Albano, 14 points, Taricka Linzy, 13 points and Shakyia Vassar & Amanda Macchione with 12 points each. The Blazers are now 19 - 4. Go Blazers!!! Their next game is at Whitney Young HS on Saturday, January 26th, 2 p.m. Come cheer on your Blazers!
January 10, 2008
By Randy Whalen
Junior guard Monica Albano hit two free throws with 2.4 seconds to play to lift visiting No. 20 Trinity to a 58-57 victory over No. 25 McAuley in a GCAC Red thriller Thursday night.With the score tied at 56-56, Albano nailed both of her free throws to put Trinity (18-4, 5-1) ahead. However, Albano then committed her fifth foul on an inbounds play and McAuley (13-6, 2-2) had a chance to tie. Junior forward Sophie Newson missed the first of two free throws with 1.1 seconds left. She made the second, but the Blazers were able to inbound the ball and run out the clock."Monica is still recovering from a sprained ankle, but I knew she'd make the free throws," Trinity senior center Amanda Macchione said. "She's awesome." Macchione scores a game-high 22 points and added 13 rebounds. Albano scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half.The Blazers looked to be in control when junior point guard Shakyia Vassar scored on a layup with 6:56 to play in the game. Vassar (11 points) came out of the game with a hip pointer injury late in the fourth quarter.Without Vassar the Blazers made 11 fourth quarter turnovers, including four in a 22-second span. As a result, the Mighty Macs rallied, cutting the lead to 56-55 on two free throws by senior guard Mo Sullivan with 54.8 seconds to play. Following a missed Blazers free throw, McAuley missed a three-pointer. But the Mighty Macs grabbed the rebound and Sullivan was fouled with 13.4 seconds left. She made the second free throw to knot the game for the first time since the first quarter. Despite the hip pointer, Vassar came in for the final 13.4 seconds."She's the crazy one on our team," Macchione said of Vassar. "She controls our pace and when she went out that interrupted our flow."I still felt we were going to win, even at the end. We love coming in and taking the win on their court, plus it was a conference game too."Trinity senior forward Erica Cross, whose father Russell led Manley to the 1980 Class AA state title and later played at Purdue , added eight points. A three-pointer by Vassar gave Trinity a 13-11 lead with 1:40 left in the first quarter. That started an 11-2 Blazers burst that put them ahead 21-13 in the first two minutes of the second quarter. The Mighty Macs closed within 21-20 on a free throw by Newson with 3:05 left in the first half. Macchione and Cross each had four points as Trinity responded with a quick 10-0 run and went on to a 33-23 halftime lead. Macchione had 18 points and 10 rebounds at intermission."We missed box-outs and you have to get a body on (Macchione)," McAuley coach Karen Ade said. "When you only play the last six minutes it doesn't help. But I'm proud of the effort at the end. We could have thrown in the towel and we didn't."
Sullivan led McAuley with 15 points, 13 of them in the second half and eight in the fourth quarter. Newson finished with 14 points, six of them coming in the fourth quarter.
Blazers weather loss of injured Albano
January 9, 2008
Pioneer Press By TIM STABLEIN Staff Writer
It seemed safe to assume points might be a little harder to come by for the Trinity basketball team with junior Monica Albano on the disabled list with a sprained ankle. Albano, a three-year varsity starter, injured the ankle after slipping on ice when getting out of a car on Jan. 2. The Blazers played their first game without their leading scorer on Thursday and got past Benet Academy 34-19 in a nonconference game. The offense looked much more normal on Saturday when the Blazers (16-4) raced past Walther Lutheran 75-48 in another nonconference contest. The goal is to have Albano back on the floor when the Blazers played Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division rival Mother McAuley on Thursday. "She's doing better," Trinity coach Ed Stritzel said. "There was no ligament tear or broken bones. It's been tough without Monica being as young of a team as we are. We really missed her leadership on the floor. I told her to come back when she's ready. We're not going to push her." Trinity senior Amanda Macchione stepped up against the Broncos (15-5) and scored a game-high 25 points. "Everybody had to step up with Monica out," Macchione said. "I hit a couple rough spots lately. I just had to go out and play, and not think about it very much. I wasn't trying to do anything special." Macchione (10 rebounds) had four offensive rebounds and seven points in the final four minutes of the first half which helped Trinity extend a three-point lead to 36-24 at halftime. "We felt very good going in at halftime," Stritzel said. The Broncos made a run in the third quarter, cutting the Trinity lead down to nine points. "I thought we played very well," Stritzel said. "Walther is a very good team that made it downstate the last two years." Taricka Linzy had 15 points for the Blazers and Shakyia Vassar added 10. The offensive attacks for both Benet and Trinity struggled for most of the game. The Blazers jumped out ahead 10-2 in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead the rest of the evening. Seven of the points were scored by freshman Divinity Brown. Trinity had an opportunity to blow the game open in the second quarter when Benet failed to score a single point. The Blazers scored only eight points to extend the lead to 18-6 at halftime. The Blazers played very well defensively in the second quarter, causing the Redwings to turn the ball over eight times. Benet finished the evening in River Forest with 34 turnovers against a much quicker opponent. "I don't remember seeing that before," said Stritzel about Benet not scoring in the second quarter
January 8th, 2008
The Trinity Blazer basketball team defeated St. Ignatius 53 - 42. The Blazers were led by Monica Albano, 17 points, Amanda Macchione, 13 points and Shakyia Vassar with 12 points. The Blazers record is 17-4. The next game will be at Mother McAuley on Thursday, January 10th at 6:30 p.m.
Blazers bury Broncos
Albano out, but Macchione steps up
Wednesday Journal
By BRAD SPENCER
Trinity 75
Walther L. 48
No Monica Albano, no problem. The Trinity basketball team used a combination of quickness and strength to overpower area-rival Walther Lutheran 75-48 Saturday at the Sister Michele Germanson Athletic Facility in River Forest. With Albano, the team's leading scorer, out with a severe ankle sprain suffered when she slipped on ice a few days before, Amanda Macchione carried the load. The senior scored a season-high 25 points to lead the Blazers (16-4) in the non-conference victory. Macchione's biggest contribution came in the second quarter when she rattled off 12 of her 16 points of the first half. Trinity took a 36-24 lead at halftime, aided by the first-quarter spark of Taricka Linzy. The freshman scored eight points in the opening stanza. "Monica being out is really a blessing in disguise for us," said Trinity head coach Ed Stritzel of his star player, who also sat out in the Blazers' 34-19 win over Benet on Thursday. "We're a very young team and her unfortunate injury gives us a chance to get players some much needed time on the court."Walther Lutheran's Shanelle Wright countered Linzy's eight points with eight of her own in the first quarter, but the Broncos (15-4) struggled against Trinity's zone defense. Wright finished with 14 points. Linzy (15 points) upped her team's lead to 50-38 with a steal and fast-break layup early in the third quarter. Macchione proved too much for Broncos centers Emma Swartz and Wright. Swartz fouled out with 2:16 left in the third and Wright was forced to the bench with three fouls in the same stanza. In the closing minutes of the third, Macchione dazzled fans with a hard-fought rebound and a no-look pass to Shakyia Vassar, who jetted down the court for a layup. The quick Vassar led the Blazers past Benet with 10 points. Nine of Macchione's 25 points came via the free-throw line where the center buried 9-of-12 shots. "Amanda played extremely well for us today, and we had some really good play from others such as Divinity Brown and Linzy," said Stritzel. "To get that kind of help from two freshmen is an added bonus." Trinity took on St. Ignatius last night (after deadline). The Blazers head to Mother McAuley tomorrow for a 6:30 p.m. game. They'll then have eight days off from competition before hosting Harlan on Jan. 19 (3 p.m.).
December 21
Trinity Defeated Downers Grove South on Thursday, December 20th in the 2nd round of the Suburban Holiday Showcase Tournament 54-36. The Blazers were led by Monica Albano, 27 points and Amanda Macchione with 13 points. The Blazers next game is Saturday, December 22nd at Noon vs. Lake Park High School. The game against Lake Park will be played at Loyola Academy.
The Blazers record is 13-2.
December 15
The Trinity Blazer basketball team suffered it's 1st loss of the season on December 15th vs. Marian Catholic, 68-53. The leading scorer for the Blazers was Monica Albano with 17 points. The Blazers are now 12-1 on the season and ranked the 5th best team in the area by the Chicago Tribune.
The Blazers will play against Loyola Academy On Tuesday, December 18th, 7 p.m. at the Sister Michelle Germanson Athletic Facility. Come on out and cheer the Blazers on to victory.
IN THE NEWS...
Trinity pushes perfection to 11
Vassar steps in for 24 points against Glenbard West
By CYNTHIA WHITE, Wednesday Journall
Dec. 11th
Trinity 60
Regina 34
The Trinity girls basketball team's perfect record remained unblemished after the Blazers toppled Girls Catholic Athletic (Red) Conference foe Regina 60-34 on Monday night. Freshman Taricka Linzy did most of the damage for Trinity, scoring 16 points. Monica Albano, who was forced to the bench in foul trouble during Trinity's 56-38 clobbering of Glenbard West on Saturday, added 15 points.Amanda Macchione was also forced to the bench early in the Glenbard West game, held at Trinity in River Forest, but it didn't seem to stop the Blazers (11-0, 3-0). It was only the first quarter when Albano had to sit down with three quick fouls and seven points. Her teammate, Shakyia Vassar, rose to the challenge. Vassar scored all of Trinity's 14 points in the second period, giving her team a comfortable 30-14 lead at the half. Vassar, usually a key defensive player, went on to tally a career-high 24 points. "I was just putting the ball in the hole," she said after the game. "Since Monica and Amanda were in foul trouble, someone had to pick up the offensive game." Vassar's coach, Ed Stritzel, praised his often unsung hero. "She's our diamond in the rough, defensively and offensively," he said. Glenbard West managed only two buckets in the first half, the other 10 points deriving from the free-throw line. The Hilltoppers ended up with 15 points at the line compared to Trinity's three. Nicole Hazemi led her team with 12 points before fouling out late in the final quarter.Although she only played limited minutes, Albano came back in the second half to score 10 more points to finish with 17. The junior is now averaging 20 points per game.Stritzel said he's pleased with his team's play thus far, though some of the wins have come with a price. "It has been a difficult first month for us with all the injuries," he said. "It's a credit to our kids on how tough they are. I love the fact that we're not a one-man team." Starter Erica Cross was expected back from a knee injury this week. The Blazers' biggest challenge is looming this Saturday, when they play fifth-ranked Marian Catholic on the road at 2:30 pm.
Come playoff time, Trinity will host the Class 2A River Forest Sectional, which resides under the Loyola University Supersectional.
December 8th
Trinity defeated Glenbard West 56-38. Shakyia Vassar led Trinity with 24 points while Monica Albano added 17. The Blazers are currently 10-0 and face Regina Dominican on Monday, December 10th, 7 p.m. in the Sister Michelle Germanson Athletic Facility. Go Blazers!!!
Trinity's barrage of 3-pointers bury Bandits
Blazers right on mark in conference opener
By CYNTHIA WHITE of the Wednesday Journal
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Trinity 69
- Resurrection 48 It may have been sleeting outside on Saturday night, but inside the Sister Michelle Germanson Athletic Facility in River Forest it was raining 3-pointers.Four Trinity basketball players combined for nine 3-pointers that dazzled the crowd during the Blazers' 69-48 upending of Resurrection. Trinity (8-0, 1-0) had little trouble dispensing of its Girls Catholic Athletic Conference rival. The Bandits (5-2, 0-1) managed only one lead by getting the first bucket of the game. After that, Trinity was off to the races, leaving Resurrection at the starting gate. The home team led by as much as 28 points. The much anticipated match-up between Trinity's Monica Albano and Resurrection's Deanna Ortiz never materialized. Albano scored 19 points to lead all players on the floor. At halftime, the junior had 10 points to Ortizs' two. Trinity's Shakyia Vassar shadowed Ortiz all night, holding her to six points. The usual dynamic duo under the boards, Erica Cross (knee) and Amanda Macchione (bloody nose, 10 rebounds), were forced out of the game with injuries. Albano filled the void, grabbing eight rebounds."I just crashed the boards on offense. Our team was little. I went in there and tried to help us out on rebounds," said Albano after the win. Trinity took the lead early in the game going up 4-2. Vassar hit the first of her two 3-pointers to get her teammates going. She finished with 11 points. Divinity Brown then answered with four treys of her own. The freshman finished with 16 points. "Being a freshman, people doubt me. They say, 'She doesn't have experience.' But hey, just because you're a freshman doesn't mean anything," said Brown. "I've been playing basketball since I was 5 years old." Taricka Linzy also had a big night for the Blazers. The freshman finished with 10 points. Trinity head coach Ed Stritzel said he's hopeful his team's success will continue. "We're different from last year. We're young but we're very quick," he said. "We don't want to peak in December. We want to peak in February. I told them before the game that win or lose tonight we have bigger goals than a one-game win." Earlier in the week, the Blazers had their closest game yet facing Proviso East on the road. Albano had 25 points in a game that went down to the wire, with Trinity coming out on top 60-56. The team's next home game is Saturday (2:30 p.m.) against Glenbard West
Blazers remain red hot
December 5, 2007
A high priority was placed upon the last two dates on the schedule for the Trinity basketball team.
Trinity coach Ed Stritzel told the returning varsity players and newcomers to recall what occurred a year ago after the Blazers (8-0) were riding high with a six-game winning streak to open the season.
The Blazers suddenly hit a bump in the road at this point a year ago and dropped back-to-back games against Resurrection and Proviso East.
Stritzel didn't want history to repeat itself with the Blazers once again in possession of a six-game winning streak to start the year.
The Blazers responded to the challenge and remained undefeated after an impressive 69-48 win over top-10 ranked Resurrection (5-2, 0-1) in a Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division game.
"I've been preaching to them about that since November," Stritzel said. "Last year we lost to Proviso East at home and by two points at the buzzer to Resurrection. We didn't want that to happen again.
"I had a real good feeling about both of these games. The girls were very focused this week. We wanted to make sure we took care of both teams. We learned from our mistakes."
The Blazers turned what was expected to be a very close battle into a rout despite two players being injured in the game. Trinity senior Erica Cross suffered a knee injury two minutes into the opening quarter and did not return to the floor. Her status for the future is up in the air.
"We'll just have to wait and see what the doctor says," Stritzel said. "Hopefully, it's nothing serious. We'll just have to wait for the results."
The other injury came in the third quarter when senior Amanda Macchione was hit in the nose by an elbow in a battle for a rebound. She was able to return and finished the game with 10 rebounds, six points, three assists and two steals.
"People we're saying we had to beat Proviso East and Resurrection," Macchione said. "Nobody was giving us any credit. We love beating two of our rivals."
The game was pretty much decided in the opening eight minutes after Trinity jumped out to a 20-8 lead.
The lead grew to 51-30 after Trinity freshman Divinity Brown hit a three-pointer in the third quarter. The 4-foot-10 Brown had a career high 16 points against the Bandits.
Trinity junior Monica Albano had her usual solid performance with 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Shakyia Vassar had 11 points and Taricka Linzy added 10 to the balanced scoring attack for the Blazers.
The Blazers did an excellent job of holding Deanna Ortiz of Resurrection, who will play next season for DePaul, to six points.
"We could not match up with Resurrection inside," Stritzel said. "We wanted to spread the floor and make them chase us. We used our quickness to penetrate and dish.
"We're very happy about both wins, but we have to keep working hard and getting better. We have bigger goals to accomplish."
The Blazers went on the road to post a 60-56 win on Nov. 27 against Proviso East in a nonconference game.
The Blazers scored the clinching basket by Vasser with five seconds to play after Albano saved a wild inbounds pass from going out of bounds near the midcourt area.
Proviso East played very well for most of the first half and it was reflected with a nine-point lead. It was gone by halftime with the Blazers leading 28-26 thanks to a three-pointer by Linzy at the buzzer.
The Blazers also had a three-pointer at the end of the third quarter by Albano to knot the score at 45-45
.
December 1, 2007
BY MATT LE CREN
Trinity senior center Amanda Macchione believes her team doesn't get enough respect, but she won't be able to use that as motivation after the No. 17 Blazers blew out No. 6 Resurrection 69-48 in a GCAC Red opener Saturday night in River Forest.
With Macchione controlling the offensive boards and guards Monica Albano and Divinity Brown repeatedly beating the Bandits down the floor, Trinity (8-0, 1-0) was in control throughout.
''Not to sound arrogant, but we wanted this so bad because nobody gives us any credit,'' said Macchione, who had six points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals before leaving in the third quarter with a bloody nose. ''People say Trinity is nothing unless they can beat Proviso East and 'Res.' We love beating our rivals.''
Macchione had five offensive rebounds in the first quarter and Trinity had eight overall before Resurrection (5-2, 0-1) grabbed its first off the boards. The Blazers led 12-4 early and were up 20-9 at the end of the first quarter.
''I wanted the ball and I was going to do whatever I could to get it,'' Macchione said. ''I couldn't believe they didn't call fouls on me because that usually happens.''
Resurrection couldn't believe the speed Trinity displayed. Albano had 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals and Brown, a 4-10 freshman, scored a career-high 16 points, including a three-pointer from 25 feet that made it 51-30 in the third quarter.
''We beat a tremendous team and we've just got to get better,'' Trinity coach Ed Stritzel said. ''We're very happy with the win but I told the kids we have bigger goals.''
Shakyia Vassar added 11 points and Taricka Linzy 10 for Trinity, which lost forward Erica Cross to a knee injury in the first quarter.
Hannah Hartman scored 12 points for the Bandits, but DePaul-bound Deanna Ortiz was held to six points to go with seven rebounds and four assists
Wednesday Journal
Blazers win second straight tourney title
On the Court
By BRAD SPENCER
The Trinity basketball team kept its perfect record intact with a 63-49 victory over Naperville Central at the Naperville Central Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday.
The Blazers defended their tournament title and pushed their overall record to 6-0. Monica Albano buried four 3-pointers on her way to 16 points. The senior also finished with five rebounds and four steals. Taricka Linzy finished with 14 points for Trinity, which jumped out to a 51-31 lead near the end of the third quarter.
On Friday, the Blazers again faced area-rival OPRF, who they defeated 66-58 in the season opener. Trinity downed the Huskies again, this time 53-45. Albano led the Blazers with 25 points.
Blazers successfully defend tournament crown
November 28, 2007 - Oak Leaves, Oak Park - River Forest
By TIM STABLEIN Staff Writer
A zone defense by Naperville Central seemed like a sound strategy when the game started. The Redhawks, however, were forced into trying Plan B after a hot-shooting Trinity team drained five 3-pointers in the opening quarter. The other defenses didn't work much better, as Trinity (6-0) won the Naperville Central/Benet Academy Thanksgiving Tournament title for a second straight year after a 63-49 win over Naperville Central on Saturday afternoon. Trinity freshman Divinity Brown (9 points) had a pair of three-pointers in the first quarter, while Monica Albano (16 points), Taricka Lindzy and Amanda Macchione each had one. "That's (zone) something we were looking for after scouting Naperville a couple of times," Trinity coach Ed Stritzel said. "I felt very comfortable playing them man-to-man. "Teams can't just stop Monica and expect to beat us. We are getting balanced scoring. That's how we've been able to beat the better teams." The Blazers also started off last season with a six-game winning streak, which was halted by a nonconference loss at home against Proviso East. Trinity hopes history doesn't repeat itself when the Blazers hit the road to play at Proviso East tonight. "We've been looking forward to that game," Stritzel said. A seven-point run enabled the Blazers to bolt out to a 19-10 lead with 70 seconds still to be played in the opening quarter. The lead on the scoreboard went into double digits for the first time at 27-16 with 3 minutes, 52 seconds to play in the first half after a basket by Shakyia Vassar and two free throws each from Albano and Erica Cross. The Redhawks made a brief run at the start of the second half and pulled within 35-30. The eight-point spurt was highlighted by three-point field goals from Katie Atwood and Kelly Hendrick. "We knew they were going to try and make a run at some point," Stritzel said. The possibility of a Naperville Central rally was quickly silenced after Trinity ran off 13 unanswered points to go ahead 50-31 with 1:09 to play in the third quarter. The final points came on a three-pointer by Linzy. The Redhawks were unable to get the deficit back to single digits the rest of the game. Trinity, which finished 3-0 in pool play, advanced to the title game after a 53-45 win over Oak Park-River Forest in the semifinals on Friday. It was the second win this season for the Blazers against OPRF.
Trinity guard Monica Albano poured in a career-high 25 points and came up with two clutch plays down the stretch as the Blazers won a 60-56 thriller over host Proviso East in Maywood.
After scoring 10 in the third quarter, Albano tallied six straight points late in the fourth quarter to keep No. 17 Trinity (7-0) ahead. The last came when she stole the ball at midcourt and went in for a layup to make it 58-54 with 16 seconds left.
After Robin Giden’s basket pulled the No. 23 Pirates (4-4) to within two with less than four seconds to play, Albano saved an inbounds pass from going out of bounds and found Shakyia Vassar for a layup at the buzzer.
“Today, I was just feeling it, and at the end I just tried to do the best I could do on defense,” said Albano, who had seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. “I tried to get my teammates involved, too, but if I had an open shot I would take it.”
Proviso East led 11-2, but Trinity rallied to take a 28-26 halftime advantage. The Pirates led by five in the third quarter, before back-to-back three-pointers by Albano put the Blazers ahead to stay at 48-44.
Miame Giden led the Pirates with 22 points and nine rebounds. Tiara Perry added 12 points and Angela Butler and Robin Giden each had eight.
Amanda Macchione had 10 points and seven rebounds for Trinity, which got eight points from Taricky Linzy
November 28th
Trinity at Proviso East. The Trinity Blazers defeated Proviso East 60-56. Leading scorers for Trinity were Monica Albano (25 points), Amanda Macchione (10 points) and Taricka Linzy (8 points). The Blazers improved their season record to 7-0.
November 24th
In the Championship game of the Naperville Central Thanksgiving Tournament, Trinity defeated Naperville Central 63-49. Leading scorers for Trinity were Monica Albano (16 points), Taricka Linzy (14 points) and Shakyia Vassar (11 points). The Blazers improved their season record to 6-0.
November 23rd
In the 4 th round of the Naperville Central Thanksgiving Tournament, Trinity defeated Oak Park 53-45. Leading scorers for Trinity were Monica Albano (25 points), Amanda Macchione (10 points) and Taricka Linzy (9 points). The Blazers improved their season record to 5-0.
November 20th
In the 3 rd round of the Naperville Central Thanksgiving Tournament, Trinity defeated Joliet 61-47. Leading scorers for Trinity were Monica Albano (18 points), Amanda Macchione (16 points) and Taricka Linzy (14 points). The Blazers improved their season record to 4-0.
November 17th
In the 2 nd round of the Naperville Central Thanksgiving Tournament, Trinity defeated Benet Academy 54-45. Leading scorers for Trinity were Monica Albano (22 points), Taricka Linzy (8 points) and Divinity Brown (6 points). The Blazers improved their season record to 3-0.
November 16th
In the 1 st round of the Naperville Central Thanksgiving Tournament, Trinity defeated Plainfield South 63-25. Leading scorers for Trinity were Monica Albano (17 points), Vivi Castellanos (10 points) and Divinity Brown (9 points). The Blazers improved their season record to 2-0.
November 13th
Trinity at Oak Park-River Forest
In the opening game of the season, the Trinity Blazers defeated Oak Par-River Forest 66-58. The Blazers were led Monica Albano with 19 points, Caneka Davis scored 16 and Amanda Macchione had 14 points.
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