If Providence senior Allee Hernandez felt like the Lone Ranger on the opening day of practice, it would have been for good reason.
The 5-foot-5 point guard is the only returning player from last season’s team that won 20 games. The Celtics graduated a whopping 10 seniors.
“Coach said this is the first year it’s ever happened,” Hernandez said. “So being the only returning player is definitely a challenge. We’re going to pull it together and hopefully get back at it.”
As the only junior in the Providence starting lineup last season, Hernandez was essential in helping Alyssa Jurges average 18.4 points.
“I love playing point guard,” Hernandez said. “Ever since I was a little kid it has never been for me about how many points I can score on the board. It’s about how many assists I can give to my teammates. I’m always hoping to make my teammates look better.
“Last year we had Alyssa Jurges, who I could always look to. I knew if I got the ball to her she was going to finish and get me an assist. I knew that would get me in the higher numbers. It was my strength.”
Hernandez has ascended through the program the old-fashioned way, according to Celtics coach Eileen Copenhaver.
“She didn’t go directly to the varsity as a freshman or a sophomore,” Copenhaver said. “She was the point guard on the freshman team, started on the sophomore team and then worked her butt off to be the starting point guard as a junior on a senior-dominated team.
“Now she’s the leader of the program with aspirations of playing in college. Her defense, scoring, court awareness and ability to make players around her better will take her far.”
Aiming high: Rich East (4-0) came out of the starting blocks strong, and has its sights set on eclipsing the 23-6 record achieved by the 2007-08 team.
Seniors Tayana Wilson and Carmari Lloyd each scored 13 points in a 46-33 win Saturday over Barrington in the Buffalo Grove Bison Classic. It was an impressive follow-up to a 65-57 victory Thursday over the host Bison.
“It’s been good, but I’m not surprised,” Rich East coach Jonnie Bass said. “Most of these (starters) have been playing together on the varsity since their freshman year. I knew by the time they were seniors they’d be fine.”
The Rockets are led by senior guards Jordan Towery, a Chicago State commit, and Wilson.
“Jordan is the type of guard … the stuff that she does you cannot teach,” Bass said. “She’s a slasher, a driver. She’s a playmaker, that’s what we always say. It’s natural for her.
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“Tayana is the type of kid who does what she is asked to do. She will run the sets that we give her to run, where Jordan will create her own type of game within the system.”
East is also covered under the basket with 6-foot-4 junior Jada Wright and Lloyd.
“Carmari (is very underrated),” Bass said. “She’s a defensive player who reminds me of Dennis Rodman. She’s that ‘junk’ player who is going to get on the ground and get a rebound when you need it. And she finds a way to score.”
Did you know? Five players from two Southland high schools make up nearly half of St. Xavier’s women’s roster.
Caitlin McMahon, Meaghan McMahon and Kara Krolicki all graduated from Lincoln-Way East, and Revi McMahon and Casey McMahon both graduated from Stagg. Krolicki is the Cougars’ leading scorer (17.6 points) and Caitlin McMahon the leading rebounder (7.1).
Twitter: @tbaranek
TOP 10
Results through Sunday. Won-loss record, with last week’s rankings in parentheses.
1. Homewood-Flossmoor 1-0 (1)
2. Morgan Park 1-0 (2)
3. Joliet Catholic 1-0 (3)
4. Marist 0-0 (4)
5. Marian Catholic 2-0 (6)
6. Rich South 2-0 (7)
7. Bloom 1-1 (5)
8. Lincoln-Way East 1-1 (8)
9. Lincoln-Way North 1-1 (10)
10. Oak Forest 4-0 (NR)
Player of the Week
Oak Forest’s Taylor Sterkowitz, a senior post player, led the Bengals to a 4-0 record, scoring 15, 18, 23 and 24 points.