McNamara continues surge with monster win over Aurora Christian

KANKAKEE — After a stellar 5-0 start to the regular season, the Bishop McNamara girls basketball team cooled off a bit over the month of December, where they went 6-6.

But through three games in January, the Fightin' Irish are starting to heat back up, winning their third game of the new year in dominant fashion when they downed Aurora Christian 62-12 in Chicagoland Christian Conference action at home Thursday.

It was the second win in as many days for the Irish, who also downed Chesterton Academy 83-29 Wednesday in their first game after an eight-day break following a 57-25 win over Crete-Monee Jan. 7. They now sit at 13-6 and 4-0 in the CCC while the Eagles fell to 4-10 and 0-5.

“After [the] State Farm [Holiday Classic in December] we had to get back on a winning streak,” junior guard Eliana Isom said. “When we first started the season, it was quick and we were ready. We hadn’t played in eight days and now had three games in four days, so we had to get back in it. That transition game helped us get up a bit more, and everybody scoring helped a bit too.”

Seven of the nine Irish players that checked in scored, with Isom’s 10 points making her one of three team members to reach double figures. Leading the way with 20 points, including 16 in the first half on a 4-for-6 effort from the 3-point line, was all-state guard Trinity Davis.

The senior reached the 1,500 career point mark in Wednesday’s win over Chesterton and made it 18 games of double-digit scoring in the team’s first 20 games this season.

“Like I’ve said before, that kid works extremely hard, and right now she’s just reaping the fruit of the labor that she’s already put in,” McNamara head coach Khadaizha Sanders said. “She’s deserving and I’m not surprised at all. ... I’m super happy for her and just hope that she can keep it rolling as we head into the last home stretch of games and the postseason.”

Davis, a three-year starter at McNamara after spending her freshman year at Bradley-Bourbonnais, agreed with Sanders that she’s put in the required work to reach milestones such as her new points mark, but it’s also due to the work and love of her teammates.

“I feel like it’s just hard work, and my team helped me accomplish it,” Davis said. “They’ve just really helped me.”

Davis had 11 by the end of the first quarter, one that saw the Irish score the first 21 points before Anna Beaumont split a pair of free throws to get the Eagles on the board in the final moments of the first. The Irish knew that they were facing an Eagles team that had been struggling, but as they look to go on a run and build momentum before the IHSA Class 2A postseason, had to keep their foot on the gas.

“We can’t stoop down to their level,” Davis said. “We’re a good team, I just feel like we stayed together and worked hard like we always do. This game was a confidence booster.”

Much of that work was done by the trio of lengthy forwards Leigha Brown, Jaide Burse and Trinitee Thompson, all three of whom had multiple offensive rebounds that allowed the Irish to score 14 second-chance points. The Irish out-rebounded the Eagles 25-15, including nine offensive rebounds.

“Like I tell them, when you’ve got Leigha, Jaide and [Thompson] on the floor at once, nobody should be able to out-rebound us, and they should have that mindset too,” Sanders said. “I’ve put an emphasis on offensive rebounding, and we’ve gotta go each game to get a certain amount. They’re starting to get theirs, but I still think they can be better.”

Davis (20 points), Thompson (12) and Isom (10) were the three Irish scorers that finished in double figures. Isom, a junior who’s taken over the team’s starting point guard role this season, reached double figures for the second time in as many nights after just one such game through their first 18. She credited the team’s senior leaders for helping her start to really find her fit.

“When I get frustrated on the floor, they help me and tell me to calm down,” Isom said. “My favorite person, Ella [Langellier], she drives me home and helps me. We’re really close and I appreciate her for that. The seniors are big for me in my heart.”

Those seniors have their sights set on bringing the Irish back to relevance on the state level this season. After winning 10 sectionals and making seven trips to state between from 2001-15, the Irish have won just one sectional title since the 2014-15 season, one the Sanders-led Irish ended as the IHSA Class 2A State champions.

While they’ve looked good in three blowout wins since the calendar flipped to 2025, Davis, her teammates and her coaches know there’s still plenty of room for growth.

“Our defense needs to be a lot better,” Davis said. “Just communicating and sharing the ball quicker.”

STAT BOOK

Davis got to her 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting. She added three rebounds, three assists, five steals and two blocks. Thompson totaled 12 points, six rebounds and a steal. Isom finished with 10 points, a rebound and a steal. Brown had eight points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal and two blocks. Burse had six points, eight boards, an assist and a steal.

UP NEXT

The Irish visit Immaculate Conception at 12 p.m. Saturday.

https://daily-journal.com/sports/girls-basketball-mcnamara-continues-surge-with-monster-win-over-aurora-christian/article_a9ef62a6-d488-11ef-a3dd-e7e03a343b8f.html