Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: St. Charles East senior Sofia O’Sullivan, girls basketball

Name: Sofia O’Sullivan

Sport: Girls basketball

Why she was selected: In a game against Batavia, O’Sullivan put up a game-high 15 points, including eight in the final quarter, to help the Saints defeat the Bulldogs 43-37 and remain undefeated in DuKane Conference play.

O’Sullivan was selected as the Kane County Chronicle’s Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

Here is her Q&A with sports reporter Joel Boenitz

Boenitz: What was your mindset heading into the game against Batavia?

O’Sullivan: I knew that we had to win, especially since we lost to them in sectionals last year. So I think we all kind of had like a chip on our shoulder, and we really wanted to win and do whatever it took to do that.

Boenitz: What were you thinking heading into the fourth quarter with your team up by three points?

O’Sullivan: I knew that we had to pick up the energy too, because it was kind of on and off. And so I knew that we needed to start off strong. And so I tried to help our team get the strong start going. And we did really good with moving around on offense, and I think we all played really good defense, so that definitely made an impact also.

Boenitz: You guys are 6-0 in DuKane Conference play, matching your conference win total from last season. What’s it been like having this success early on?

O’Sullivan: It’s been really fun. Honestly, from our first tournament of the season, I knew that this was going to be a good team, but I feel like our chemistry on and off the court is really what makes the difference. I feel like we have a lot of skilled players, but especially since I feel like we’re all super close, it just makes it really fun playing with everyone.

Boenitz: You’re committed basketball to play at DePauw next year. What drew you to there?

O’Sullivan: I met the team the first time I visited them and I loved all the girls on the team. They were all super nice and welcoming. The coaches were also super nice and really welcoming too. And another thing that really stuck to me is like they had all been coaching there together for a few years now, and so because a lot of coaches are moving around and switching teams a lot, it was nice to see some stability there. And it was just really nice. Like, the campus is beautiful. I’m really excited to play there.

Boenitz: Do you have any superstitions?

O’Sullivan: I always like to do my hair in different ways. And sometimes, if I’m playing super well in the first half, I’ll switch up my hairstyle. And I also got one from the volleyball team because they are super superstitious. If we said anything jinx-like, we’d reach out and knock on wood on the court. Even now though, if I’m on the bench and I’m thinking anything I’ll still knock on wood.