Ady Fanta puts the fizz in Downers Grove North offense, sparks win over Downers Grove South

DOWNERS GROVE – Ady Fanta put the fizz in Downers Grove North‘s offense on Saturday.

Fellow guard Campbell Thulin was not surprised.

“I felt it before the game,” Thulin said. “We were shooting around before the game and her energy was so high, and the team’s energy was great.”

Sure enough, Fanta popped in four consecutive shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, in the early going to spark the visiting Trojans to a 41-26 victory over crosstown rival Downers Grove South.

The 5-foot-10 junior finished with 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting and also had two assists and a steal.

“When she’s in her mode, she’s unstoppable,” Thulin said. “She can play on all three levels.

“She’s a great teammate to have and she’s just there in all the right spots. She’s the hardest worker I know and she’ll get you the shots you want, and she’ll shoot the shots she wants.”

That process started early against the Mustangs (6-5), who scored the first point of the game, only to see the Trojans (9-3) go on a 10-0 run.

Freshman guard Caitlin Sandridge, who also scored 12 points, scored the first five points. Fanta followed suit, draining a 3 off a feed from senior guard Abby Gross and then scoring off a miss from Thulin.

“I don’t think I was looking for any shots,” Fanta said. “I think my teammates did a really good job of finding me.

“When I hit the first one, they knew to find me off the catch. They made it easy to make it happen, so it was definitely good.”

The good times continued in the second quarter when Thulin got a defensive rebound and fed Fanta for another 3-pointer. Two possessions later, Thulin found Fanta open on the left baseline for a jumper that made it 21-9.

Another steal from Thulin led to a breakaway layup by Fanta for a 24-9 lead with 4:32 left in the first half.

“Ady is a great shooter,” Downers North coach Stephan Bolt said. “When she finds her spots and lets it come to her, she’s a knockdown shooter.

“It’s about her being ready to shoot and I press her to knock down shots. It was fun to see her make some shots tonight.”

Fanta wasn’t the only one. Sandridge also went 5-for-8, including a 3-pointe off a Fanta feed that gave North its largest lead, 36-14, early in the fourth quarter. Junior guard Lauren Olson made both of her shots to contribute five points, while junior forward Urja Smith made her only attempt.

Ironically, one player who didn’t have much success shooting was Thulin, who had a rare off night. The star sophomore missed her first five attempts and finished with five points on 2-for-8 shooting, with one of the baskets coming in the final minute of the game.

“We’ve got kids that can put the ball in the basket,” Bolt said. If Campbell is not making shots, I think other kids can step up and make some plays.

“It’s nice to see kids do that when Campbell didn’t make some shots that she typically does.”

Thulin still made a big impact, grabbing a game-high eight rebounds and leading all players with four assists and two steals.

“Insane,” Fanta said. “She will find a different way and she makes it seem easy. She’s unstoppable.”

Senior forward Hayven Harden scored 14 points to lead Downers South.

“Our shooting percentage wasn’t very good today,” Downers South coach Lyndsie Long said. “We tried to force it a little too much and then we did get open looks we weren’t hitting like we usually do.

“But I think their defense is great. They’re always known for their defense, so I think that made us a little hesitant in the first quarter, and once we’re behind, it’s hard to get up.”