After a practice early in the season, Maeve Stanton gathered her Loyola girls basketball teammates and led a bonus workout without the coaches.
Stanton, a senior guard who is one of three team captains, said the extra session at the school’s gym was necessary to get the players on the same page.
“It was about us coming together as a team,” she said. “There are times when it’s good to do things just as players.”
Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker said Stanton, a three-year varsity player and a two-year starter, has been an extension of the coaching staff this season. According to Schoenecker, Stanton also is the team’s “heart and soul” and best defender.
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With St. Ignatius missing guard Molly Gannon, its top offensive player, because of an injury, Stanton didn’t get to showcase her full defensive talents in Loyola’s 47-28 Catholic Athletic Conference Red win on Thursday, Jan. 7, in Chicago. The Ramblers improved to 10-5 overall and 3-2 in conference.
She understands the concepts,” Schoenecker said of Stanton. “She mostly face-guards, which isn’t an easy thing to do because she can’t always see the basketball. But she has a great awareness about her. She’s a great approach to each game. She’s always ready to play.”
Stanton often matches up against the opponent’s biggest offensive threat. She held the player she was guarding to two points in Loyola’s 33-29 win in the title game of the Red Mountain Holiday Classic on Thursday, Dec. 31, in Mesa, Ariz., according to Schoenecker.
Stanton said she’s following in the footsteps of Maggie Nick, who was a senior during Stanton’s sophomore season on varsity. Both are graduates of Queen of All Saints, a grammar school on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
“Maggie led by example, and I am more vocal,” said Stanton, one of four players on this season’s roster from Queen of All Saints. “I want the younger girls to come to me with questions. I try to encourage everybody in a positive way.
“Before we go out to play, I am the one getting everybody amped up. I want to make sure everybody is going to have fun out there.”
Said Schoenecker: “Sometimes, it’s better to hear things from your teammates than your coaches. She holds the players to high standards. I see her do it in practices and in games.”
Madison Kane, a junior guard from Queen of All Saints, said Stanton is like an “older sister” to her. The two live in the Sauganash neighborhood and have known each other since a young age.
“She is good about giving constructive criticisms,” Kane said. “She pushes you do to better.”
Just as Stanton learned from Nick, Kane said she’s paying attention to Stanton’s example.
“I definitely want to be like her next year,” Kane said.
Game notes
* Senior forward Liz Satter scored a team-high 12 points for the Ramblers. Senior guard Mary Cormier added 11 points, and senior guard Erin Dowdle scored nine points, all on 3-pointers. Dowdle took two charges in the second quarter.
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