Girls basketball: Shorthanded Lyons falls to Sandburg at Coach Kipp Hoopsfest

LOMBARD – Lyons Township forward Emma O’Brien has led her team in scoring several times this season.

The 6-foot-1 sophomore had to lead in other ways on Saturday.

LT coach Meghan Hutchens benched 13 players, including four starters, for disciplinary reasons and called up six freshmen and sophomores from the lower levels. O’Brien and 5-10 sophomore guards Gwen Smith and Fiona Sullivan were the only other varsity players to see action in a 63-44 loss to Sandburg at the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Montini.

“Obviously, I had to take on a lot more leadership than usual, like be more supportive to the younger kids,” O’Brien said. “I’m used to being the youngest on the team, so I went from being the youngest to the oldest.

“But I tried to use my experience and knowledge that I have and try to help them out so they can feel comfortable and welcome, because some of them were new.”

Sandburg (13-9) quickly took advantage of the makeshift lineup, using 3-point shooting and a full-court press to score the game’s first nine points.

But the Lions rallied, finally finding a way to break the press and get some transition baskets. Sophomore Anna Bigenwald scored on a layup off a feed from freshman Taylor Carroll to cut the deficit to 19-17 with 7:21 left in the second quarter.

“We’re going through some team adversity,” Hutchens said. “We’ll find a way to get back, but the team that we had put together today were all freshmen and sophomores and I thought they played with a lot of guts and fearlessness.

“They played with a lot of heart and they did a really nice job on the rebounds. They did a really nice job of coming together so we could compete today.”

But it wasn’t enough to overcome the Eagles, who responded to Bigenwald’s basket with a 13-0 run. Guard Ellen Driscoll, who was Sandburg’s player of the game, sank seven 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 25 points.

Zoe Trunk added 17 points and eight steals for the Eagles, who forced 29 turnovers and led by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter.

The play of O’Brien, though, was a bright spot for the Lions (12-8). She was LT’s player of the game, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, eight blocks and two assists.

“Emma has been a leader in multiple areas,” Hutchens said. “She absolutely was the most experienced kid on the floor today and had to do a lot of things that she wasn’t used to doing.

“Playing with kids that you don’t normally play with on a daily basis and coming in here and competing against a varsity team is tough. I think they did really well.”

Smith tallied a team-high 15 points for the Lions, while Carroll had eight points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals and Bigenwald chipped in four points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomore Char Ebeid added seven points and four rebounds.

“I think they did their best,” O’Brien said of the newcomers. “They didn’t look too tentative.

“They were in the beginning but as the game went on, you could tell they got more comfortable and were more aggressive and started shooting a little bit more, which helped us. We got closer toward the end than we thought we would.”

Hutchens said the benchings will last one more game. Meanwhile, O’Brien is using the situation as an opportunity to grow her leadership skills.

“Frustration was there, but I used it to help myself be a little more aggressive,” O’Brien said. “I think I held my own and led the team pretty well.

“This situation helped me feel more comfortable. It made me more of a leader, which I feel I can help with when everyone gets back.”