Lincoln-Way East’s Lana Kerley caught the ball in the right corner Tuesday night, took one quick look and then drove the baseline past two Lincoln-Way West defenders.
Ending up underneath the basket, the senior combo guard managed to pick up a foul as her reverse layup would navigate its way past the rim and fall through the net.
Her reaction? A big smile, with a wow from everybody else.
“I think it’s just practicing that shot over and over,” Kerley said. “Eventually, it’s just muscle memory. It’s one of the things our coaches emphasize — reverse layups.
“And it comes in handy.”
Indeed, it definitely did for the 5-foot-11 Kerley and the Griffins during a 59-42 victory over the host Warriors in a SouthWest Suburban Conference crossover in New Lenox.
Kerley finished with 16 points and six rebounds as Lincoln-Way East (11-2) earned its fourth straight win. Illinois-bound senior forward Havyen Smith scored 23 points.
The Griffins needed every single one of those points as Lincoln-Way West (4-7) made 12 3-pointers, including five from sophomore guard Molly Finn, four in the first quarter.
Freshman guard Mackenzie Roesner and senior guard Peyton Madl each connected on three 3-pointers for the Warriors, but in the end, it would be Kerley’s big plays that won out.
“West did a good job switching their defenses,” Lincoln-Way East coach Jim Nair said. “They were in the process of switching between a zone and man.
“Lana recognized she had an angle and took it strong to the basket.”
It’s hard to believe now, but Kerley was a freshman on the varsity during a 2021 season shortened to just 11 games due to the pandemic. That spring, the Griffins won only once.
More Top Picks Best Pillows For Shoulder Pain Without Surgery
Kerley and Smith have come a long way since that win against Lincoln-Way Central.
“I remember we played our hearts out and it was a really close game,” Kerley said. “All I remember is the feeling in the locker room afterward, and I feel like that’s been motivation for a lot of our wins the past three years.”
Kerley has developed into someone who plays the game with reckless abandon by attacking the basket. She’s tough in the lane but can shoot as well.
Her only 3-pointer Tuesday helped fuel a 14-0 run in the first half that reversed an 18-8 deficit. Smith has seen it all from Kerley over the years, and really, wasn’t surprised.
“I think for Lana, it’s a mindset, and it’s not selfish,” Smith said. “She’s going to do what she has to do, and it works.”
It sure does. Now that Kerley is a senior, that freshman season is a long way in the past. Along with Smith, she’s also become a team leader.
“I feel like Hayven knows ways to pick everyone up,” Kerley said. “If we’re having a negative game or something happens at halftime, she knows how to get spirits going for the second half.”
Both have benefited from years together, having played in tandem since middle school.
“I think having varsity experience and being together for a long time, we know what we have to do in order to be successful,” Smith said. “If it’s in the locker room at halftime or in the huddle.”
Kerley hasn’t committed for college yet, but she has a strategy — waiting for the halfway point of the NCAA season so coaches will have a better idea of team needs for 2024-25.
She’s looking to play Division I, but the right school has to have something else.
“I would be open to going anywhere for my major,” Kerley said. “Chemical engineering, with a minor in aerospace.”
“She’s a smart gal,” Smith deadpanned.
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.