For senior Sidney Lovitsch and her St. Xavier University women’s basketball teammates, the first day of the NAIA Tournament was a lot of fun.
The Cougars scored early and often March 12 in a 105-51 victory over Crowley’s Ridge. That easily beat last year’s first-round game, with St. Xavier scheduled to face Avila only to have the tournament canceled by the NAIA due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The second day this year, however, was a bummer. The Cougars lost 90-70 to Morningside, which made it to the national semifinals before falling 65-62 to runner-up Thomas More on Monday night in Sioux City, Iowa.
While the win over Crowley’s Ridge gave St. Xavier a 24-hour boost, the aftertaste of the loss to Morningside will have a longer-lasting impact.
And Lovitsch thinks that will be a good thing.
“After losing that game, we were all pretty bummed about it,” Lovitsch said. “But it lit a fire under us for next season. We met about it as a team. We talked it over with our coach (Corry Irvin). We watched film and we were able to go over it.
“Losing how we did this year is going to be a big step on how we do next year, and it’s just going to benefit us in the end.”
Even though she’s a senior, Lovitsch plans to be a part of next season’s team as players were granted an extra year by the NAIA because of the shortened season.
Lovitsch, a former Grayslake North standout, led St. Xavier in scoring by averaging 15.6 points. She worked well as a tag-team partner with former Marist star Claire Austin, who averaged 15.4.
Lovitsch added 3.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 steals for the Cougars, who finished 17-4 in a season that saw several games canceled because of coronavirus concerns. She had a 28-point game on Jan. 27 at Judson.
“Last year, she was more of a defender,” Irvin said of Lovitsch. “This year she had to get used to doing both defending and scoring. Overall, she did a really good job.
“She was gaining a lot of confidence as she was being looked at as someone who could score. She still sets the pace on defense as she is really active.”
Lovitsch said when the Cougars lost top scorers Maddie Welter and Chanel Fanter to graduation from a 29-4 team, she was told by Irvin she would figure in on more of the scoring.
While she took that to heart and worked on her game in the summer, Lovitsch said she had plenty of help.
“I was able to get a few points this year but couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” she said. “What’s unique about the team is that we were not one- dimensional. A lot of players were able to break out of their shells.”
Lovitsch is a double major in marketing and management and wants to earn a minor in communication with her extra year. She said she wants to be involved in sales, whether it’s in sports or pharmaceuticals.
She also would like to keep a hand in basketball as a coach. Her father, Brian, coached her throughout grade school. She has the coaching bug as well.
Basketball has been a great release for her.
“It gives me an escape from everything,” she said. “I tried other sports — almost every sport in the book. I’ve tried dancing and cheerleading. I love the fast-pace emotion of the game. I found some of my best friends from there, too.
“The best decision I made is coming to St. Xavier, and I would never change it for the world. I’m glad I have an opportunity for one more year.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.