Three of the Chicago area’s best sophomore girls basketball players were on the same floor Tuesday evening.
Two of them happen to play for
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, which certainly was a factor as the eighth-ranked Friars rallied from a two-point halftime deficit for a 52-35 victory over No. 11
.
Fenwick sophs Tricia Liston (22 points) and Katlyn Payne (14), as well as the Friars’ tough second-half defense, simply were too much for the host Red Devils. They suffered their first loss of the season in falling to 10-1.
Hinsdale Central sophomore Toni Kokenis tried to do her part in the first half by playing like she was two people. The 5-foot-10-inch guard collected 14 points and five steals as the Red Devils took a 26-24 halftime lead.
But things changed dramatically.
“We just realized she was a really good shooter,” Liston said of Kokenis. “She was getting wide-open threes. So we decided we needed to get out on her and make sure she didn’t get as many shots as she did in the first half.”
Fenwick (11-2) played a 2-3 zone in the first half and a 2-3 zone in the second half. The difference was that its guards–like Colleen Forkin and Serafina Nuzzo–kept a close watch on Kokenis.
Kokenis, who had two three-pointers in the first half and got Hinsdale Central rolling by converting four of her steals into eight points, couldn’t shake the Friars in the final 16 minutes and scored only one late basket to finish with 16 points.
“We weren’t doing a very good job of passing, moving, getting open shots and getting the ball down low,” Kokenis said. “In the first half, we had more energy.”
Hinsdale Central, which played Fenwick for only the fourth time and is now 2-2 against the Friars, didn’t do itself any favors by totaling 26 turnovers and four assists.
The 6-1 Liston also has six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.