If there’s one thing that really bugs Lincoln-Way Central junior Azyah Newson-Cole, it’s not finishing.
She showed her pain early in Tuesday’s game against visiting Lincoln-Way East when she went in for a layup and was fouled but didn’t get the ball to the rim.
The loud cry of angst said it all.
“I think it’s just my work ethic,” Newson-Cole said. “I feel like when I do something, I want to do it 110%. When you do something, you want to get the best you can get out of it.”
She got her “and one” later on and did a whole lot more to lead the host Knights past the Griffins 52-45 in New Lenox.
Newson-Cole led Lincoln-Way Central (6-2) with 22 points and seven rebounds. Keira Hunt scored eight points, while Lina Panos picked up seven points and eight rebounds and Gracen Gehrke added seven points.
Lana Kerley scored 16 points for Lincoln-Way East (4-2). Hayven Smith tallied eight points and 10 rebounds, while Maddie Yacobozzi had seven points.
Newson-Cole, a 5-7 guard, made her most critical contributions a few minutes into the fourth quarter.
The Knights had already rallied from a nine-point deficit but still trailed 39-37 when Newson-Cole pulled up and nailed a 3-pointer. The next time down the floor, she whipped a pass to a wide-open Gehrke for another 3-pointer.
The tide had turned.
“I feel like those moments are the best moments in basketball,” Newson-Cole. “It’s all about confidence. This game is 80% mental and 20% skill.
“If you have the confidence to go out there and know that ‘I’m going to hit this shot,’ most likely you’re going to hit it. I had that confidence.”
Lincoln-Way Central coach Dave Campanile is getting used to seeing it.
“She has developed this season that kind of killer instinct late,” Campanile said. “She is a kid that you can trust with the ball. She now has that experience under her belt.
“We didn’t run much offense late. It was just, ‘Azyah, get to the rack. Azyah, make great decisions.’ We trust her, and she is able to make great decisions. We’re really proud of her for that.”
The confidence, according to Gehrke, is contagious.
“She’s such a good player,” Gehrke said of Newson-Cole. “And she’s such a leader. If I’m having a tough time and not making my shots, she’ll be the first to say, ‘Gracen, come on. You’ve got this. Make the next one.’
“She’s always pushing me, pushing everyone on the team. She works her hardest, and she’s pushing every else to work their hardest.”
Newson-Cole’s uncle, Brandon Cole, was a standout in high school at Bloom, played in college at DePaul and had a long professional career overseas.
“I talk to him and see him at family events,” Newson-Cole said. “He asks me how I’m doing and gives me tips on stuff I need to work on. I’ve seen film on him, and he was … man, he was something tough.
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“My dad (Keyon Cole) was a nice player, too. He always says, ‘If you don’t attempt something in the game, you never know what you can work on and what you’re good at.’ I just try to go out there and work on stuff I need to improve on.”
The Griffins outscored the Knights 13-2 to end the third quarter, the highlights being a pair of 3-point plays by Morgan Montaque and Yacobozzi.
The 37-28 lead, though, was gone in less than three minutes to start the fourth.
“A little disappointed at how we handled the basketball,” Lincoln-Way East coach Jim Nair said. “We had a nice little run and then we kind of let our guard down. Central made some plays and hit some shots there to put it away.”