At the start of her rookie season on the varsity, freshman guard Savannah Lynch got off to a fast scoring start but it wasn’t consistently leading to wins for St. Edward.
Now, with more than half of her debut already in the rearview mirror, she’s still providing that scoring — but she also feels she has gained the trust of her Green Wave teammates.
“I would say that over the Christmas break that we really started bonding together,” Lynch said. “We just stuck together, and now it’s really showing how we can trust each other.
“I feel more relaxed playing. We’re getting more opportunities for each other.”
Lynch led St. Edward to a 59-27 win Monday night at Elgin in the Elgin City Classic, setting up an opportunity to win the tournament title Wednesday with a win over Harvest Christian.
Lynch scored a game-high 22 points with seven rebounds, five steals and three assists for the Green Wave (11-9). Elizabeth Leadley tallied 12 points off the bench and Maggie Jarzemsky pulled down 11 rebounds.
Elgin (7-12) was led by nine points from Jocelyn Bardesi. Izzie Castro added eight points.
The Green Wave are 6-2 in their last eight games, and the production from Lynch has remained a constant.
The biggest boost, however, has come from her and her teammates figuring out how they fit in around her, which has led to more wins.
“At the beginning of the year, we had her and she was doing the majority of our scoring,” St. Edward coach Michelle Dawson said. “And the rest of us weren’t quite sure yet how to play with her.
“Everybody is learning to play their role, and that has benefited Savannah so much because now other teams can’t just focus on her. We have other people that are effective in our offense and are doing key things on the court, which then frees her up a little bit.”
That was evident in a 12-1 run to start the second quarter Monday.
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Lynch scored a basket, but she also generated turnovers, rebounded and set up her teammates. Leadley took full advantage, scoring the other 10 points to give St. Edward a 27-10 lead.
“Everyone can score,” Lynch said. “It’s easier when we all work together. It’s been getting easier as it goes, getting more comfortable and playing more games. We just trust each other.”
Castro hit a 3-pointer to start the third quarter for Elgin, breaking the career program record with 162. That cut the deficit to 30-22.
“First thing we talked about in the locker room — get a basket because we had the first possession,” Elgin coach Nick Bumbales said. “They hit some shots. We did not, so that was the bottom line.
“They did a real good job. They deserved to win.”
St. Edward then outscored Elgin 29-5 the rest of the game to pull away.
“That was our focus — to play strong, fundamental defense,” Dawson said. “We knew that when we get those stops we’re able to push the ball and run in transition and that’s one of the strengths of our team.
“We’re at our best when we can get those stops and go. I’m very proud of them.”
Dawson knows the fact her young team has started to blend together is the impetus behind the recent hot streak. It’s only enhanced what Lynch has been able to do so far in her young career.
“Savannah is just so dynamic of a player,” Dawson said. “Her shot is amazing. She can finish in transition. She can finish around the basket.
“It’s just really fun to see how the chemistry has come together.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.