Girls basketball: Emma O’Brien steps up for short-handed Lyons in loss to Mother McAuley at Morton tournament

CICERO – Lyons sophomore forward Emma O’Brien is taking a positive approach to her final four games in December.

O’Brien and the Lions were forced to make significant adjustments to their rotation and playing style for the 3rd Annual Morton College Girls Basketball Christmas Tournament.

That’s because the Lions were missing a vital piece of their team for Wednesday’s tourney opener. Junior star forward Nora Ezike will not be available for the entire power-packed tourney, according to Lyons coach Meghan Hutchens.

Mother McAuley took advantage of the depleted Lions, hitting nine 3-pointers to roll to a 64-51 win over Lyons in the first round of the Morton tourney. Morgan Feil hit three 3-pointers for 20 points, while Grace Gambotz also added three 3s for 20 points for Mother McAuley (8-4).

O’Brien helped absorb part of the loss of Ezike with game-high 22 points, including hitting three 3-pointers to keep the game from getting out of hand.

“Obviously, we knew we weren’t as big as we are usually because Nora is not here,” O’Brien said. “We all took it upon ourselves to do more. We know Nora scores a lot for us, so we all had to take more shots than we are used to and do some extra things. I think we did that well, even though it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to but I thought we filled the gap without her pretty well.”

The Lions (9-4) clearly missed the inside-outside presence of Ezike. The 6-foot-2 Ezike is a high-profile national recruit capable of affecting a game on both ends. Even without Ezike, the Lions managed to battle tough.

“Her family has promised they won’t go (on vacation) for Nora’s senior year,” Hutchens said. “I get it. They are royalty there in Nigeria. They have a lot of family, so culturally and at this time of the year, this is when their entire family goes. I told our team that we are a different team without Nora. We’re going to figure that out, but you can’t do that in one game. I thought our kids responded well and a lot of our kids got minutes.

“I think once Emma and Nora learn to feed off each other, be a good passer and scorer and transition up the floor, they will become a bigger dynamic duo than they already are. They will be a force.”

Emma O’Brien certainly impressed the large crowd with her all-around game. She had a highlight-reel sequence early in the second quarter, blocking a shot that led to a rainbow corner 3-pointer from Elin O’Brien. On the next defensive possession, Emma O’Brien stole a pass and raced in for a left-handed lay-up to cut the deficit to 17-14.

The Mighty Macs pulled away late in the half thanks to 3-pointers by Quinn Arundel and Maeve Egan to seize a 30-20 lead. Mother McAuley rained down 3s in the second half to advance to the next round.

“I feel like I definitely got more touches without Nora, which is good and bad,” Emma O’Brien said. “Obviously, its nice to have Nora. It’s always nice to pass to Nora. She always finishes for us. It was good to get more touches (today). I feel I can showcase myself a little more here. We want to win some more and hopefully everyone will get their confidence up.”

The Mighty Macs (9-4) have won four straight games heading into Thursday’s 3:30 p.m. game against Fremd.

“We tried to make an emphasize with good ball movement,” Mother McAuley coach Curtis Lewis said. “We played good defensively for spurts of the game. We’re glad to be in this tournament. We think this is one of the best Christmas tournaments.”