Avery Mezan’s big shot sparks Lyons' comeback win at Glenbard West

GLEN ELLYN – Junior guard Avery Mezan often does the little things for the Lyons girls basketball team to be successful.

She also did many big things Thursday.

Mezan’s three-pointer in the corner was the catalyst for the Lions’ third-quarter comeback en route to a 47-42 victory at Glenbard West in a matchup of the West Suburban Silver leaders.

“That was good. (The ball) was fumbling around and I just took a step back and shot it,” said Mezan, a third-year varsity player.

The Lions (20-1, 7-0 in Silver) now lead the second-place Hilltoppers (13-8, 6-2) by two games with five left. The teams meet again Feb. 7 in La Grange in the Silver finale for both teams.

Last season, LT tied for third in the Silver at 8-4 after three straight won or shared titles.

“We’re getting everyone’s best game and that’s good because we need that,” LT coach Meghan Hutchens said.

“(Glenbard West is) well coached. They compete until the very end. Credit to them and credit to our girls for not playing their best but still finding a way to win.”

Stanford recruit Nora Ezike and junior Division I prospect Emma O’Brien each had 18 points for the Lions. Junior Gwen Smith had four second-half points and five rebounds.

Mezan scored all five of her points in the third quarter and added three assists.

Her three cut the deficit to 24-23 and began a 12-2 run to end the third quarter with the Lions ahead 32-26. LT led throughout the fourth quarter but never by more than six points.

Sophomore Ellie Noble (11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals) and seniors Lauren Escalante (11 points, 6 rebounds) and Julia Benjamin (9 points) led Glenbard West.

Mezan, a defensive hawk, mostly defended Benjamin, a strong perimeter shooter.

“Ever since the beginning of the game, I picked it up on defense,” Mezan said.

“Avery knows her role and did a great job.” Hutchens added. “Once we finally gained that little bit of momentum from our defense we said we we’re going to do this through our defense.”

The Hilltoppers combined their defensive hustle with offensive patience against the Lions’ man-to-man and 1-3-1 zone defenses.

Glenbard West played its third full game without senior Makenna Yeager, one of their top scorers who broke her left hand Jan. 9 against Prospect.

“Our plan was to play as hard as we could and I think we fought and battled and showed grit so I was proud of the girls for that,” Glenbard West coach Kristi Faulkner said.

“I think we had a good start. LT has so much size on us so it was if we could attack with our speed versus their size. They’re a great team. It’s always hard to lose but I’m proud of the effort.”

The Lions also overcame 23 turnovers, including 17 on their first 31 possessions just prior to the third-quarter comeback.

O’Brien (6 rebounds, 4 assists) had 15 of LT’s 32 points through three quarters. The 6-foot-2 Ezike (5 rebounds, 4 steals) scored 12 of their last 17, including a 10-point fourth quarter with a conventional three-point play and wide open three with 5:02 left just after Glenbard West closed to 33-32.

“I feel like I had to make sure I wasn’t dwelling on my mistakes earlier in the game. We still had a quarter to play,” Ezike said.

“I feel like a lot of other returners remember how we played last year and the (close) losses we had so we knew how important it was to win these games and just stayed focus.”

Faulkner additionally praised the court leadership of Escalante and 5-8 senior Hannah Roberts, who often guarded Ezike. Glenbard West also made 18 of 22 free throws with Noble 7 of 8.

“We’ve been on and off and I think we all came out with all of our hustle because we knew it was going to be a tough game. We did everything like we could,” Noble said.

“I’d say this is one our best-fought games. Our camaraderie was great and we were passing the ball, moving the ball great. I feel like this was one of our best game because of our hustle. We were all just there today.”