2009-2010 Season Summary
The Trinity Varsity Basketball team had a tremendous season this year. We finished 24-10 and finished ranked 13th in the Chicago Sun-Times and 18th in the Chicago Tribune. We made it the Elite 8. We lost a highly contested game to the eventual state champ Montini. We, arguably, played the toughest schedule in the state of Illinois and it helped us greatly get past Marshall in the Sectional Finals. We have a unique situation 7 out of our first 9 players were freshman or sophomores.
The even better news is that the entire team is back next year!
Sophomore Megan Podkowa was named Honorable Mentioned All-State and Gracie Sanchez and Taylor Nazon were named special mentioned.
Our future is so very bright if we continue to be dedicated…
Trinity's Megan Podkowa makes team!!!!!
IN THE NEWS
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Girls basketball all-area team 2009-10
By Scott Powers
ESPNChicago.com
Megan Podkowa, Trinity, Sophomore, Forward
In an area packed with talented sophomores, Podkowa put herself in that category this season as she led a young Trinity team to a sectional championship and one step away from state. In the Blazers' sectional championship win over Marshall, she had 19 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, three steals and two assists. For the season, she averaged 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
"Being that our team is so young this year -- six of our first eight players are freshmen and sophomores and the other two are juniors -- Megan has led us in almost every major statistical category, which has taken us to the Supersectional," Trinity coach Eddie Stritzel said. "She is a match up problem for a guard, and her perimeter game is quite a problem for a post player."
Feb 26
On Monday evening, Feb.26th, the Varsity Basketball team will be playing in the Super Sectional at the Loyola University’s Gentile Center of the Lake Shore campus, 6511 N. Winthrop.
Attention Students:
Trinity will be running busses to and from the game. You are welcome to join us on a fan bus and if you do join us on the fan bus, we will pay for your bus fare and your ticket to the game.
* Afterschool on Monday, we will meet in the cafeteria for pizza and facepainting at 3:15.
* We will board the busses at 3:45 pm to head to Loyola.
* The game begins at 6:00 pm and we will head back to Trinity at the conclusion of the game.
If you are able and willing to ride the fan bus, please email me NO LATER than 8:00 am on Monday morning. I need to get a head count to ensure that I order the correct number of buses.
If you to travel to Loyola in your own car, please note that tickets to the game cost $8.00.
February 25
Megan Podkowa scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the host Blazers utilized two big first-half runs to dominate Marshall 59-43 to capture the Class 3A girl’s sectional title.
Tarika Linzy finished with 11 points.
Divinity Brown contributed eight points and sophomore Gracie Sanchez added seven points for the Blazers.
The Blazers advance to play Montini at the Loyola Supersectional Monday night.
Trinity In the News
Trinity defeats Marshall in sectional title game
February 25, 2010 by Dan Currier, Oak Leaves
Sophomore forward Megan Podkowa scored a game-high 20 points to lead Trinity to a 59-43 victory against visiting Marshall to win the IHSA Class 3A Trinity Sectional on Thursday night.
It was the first time in three attempts that Trinity (23-9) has beaten Marshall in the sectional final. Marshall finished the season 17-16. The Blazers will play Montini at the Loyola University Supersectional at 6 p.m. Monday. This will be Trinity's third time in the Elite 8.
The Blazers went downstate in 2003 and 2006. Trinity coach Ed Stritzel credited the Blazers' difficult schedule this season for the win over the 11-time state champs. Out of 34 teams that are left in 3A and 4A, we played 11 of them,” Stritzel said. “ Marshall was one of the toughest teams we've played. But we handled their pressure. We're young, but we keep getting better and better.” Podkowa, Trinity's leading scorer with 17 points per game, had 16 of her 20 in the first half as the Blazers took a 35-18 lead.
Marshall led in the early minutes of the first quarter, but lost it with 3:59 left when Taricka Linzy hit a three-pointer for an 11-9 Trinity lead. Trinity finished the first quarter leading 18-13 with Podkowa scoring nine of the Blazers' 18 points.
“We came out knowing we had to win this game,” Podkowa said. “We wanted revenge from last year's loss. We knew they would start fast and it took us a few minutes to kick it in gear, but once we did, we took control of the game. People will now notice us after this win. Our outside shooting did it for us.”
Linzy has 10 points for Trinity, while Taylor Nazon and Gracie Sanchez each added six. Marquiiesha Coleman, who did not play in Marshall's victory over Guerin Prep in the sectional semifinal on Tuesday, had a team high 19 points.
2010 IHSA GIRLS SECTIONAL BASKETBALL
Welcome to Trinity High School, home of the Blazers, for the 2010 IHSA Girls Basketball Sectional Tournament. We are looking forward to hosting the Sectional this year. Good luck to all participating teams.
Doors will open at 6:15 p.m.
TOURNAMENT BRACKET SCHEDULE
Monday, February 22nd
7:30 p.m. Game 1 – River Forest (Trinity) vs. Bensenville (Fenton)
The Trinity Blazers coasted by Fenton High School 42-25 last night in a Sectional Semi Final Match Up. Megan Podkowa had 12 points, seven rebounds, six steals, two assists and a blocked shot. Divinity Brown and Taricka Linzy added seven points apiece for the Blazers as seven different Trinity players scored.Gracie Sanchez and freshman Shannon McGinnis scored six points each for the Blazers.
Our next game will be Thursday Night at Trinity, 7:30 p.m. for the Sectional Championship…. Come out and support your blazers!
Tuesday, February 23rd
7:30 p.m. Game 2 – Chicago ( Marshall) vs. River Grove (Guerin Prep)
Thursday, February 25th
7:30 p.m. Game 3 - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Directions: Trinity High School is located at 7574 W. Division Street, River Forest, IL 60305. The school is located on the corner of Division & Lathrop.
PARKING: Spectators may park anywhere in the school lot. TEAM BUSES should park toward the rear of the lot after team drop off.
ADMISSION: $5.00 per day is set by the IHSA
February 18th
The Varsity Girls Basketball won their opening game of the IHSA Regional’s against Manley High school, 69-27.
The lady Blazers were led by Freshmen Taylor Nazon (14 points) and Shannon Mcginnis(12 points).
The Blazers next game is against Crane high school for the Regional Championship on Friday, February 19th at 7:30 pm.
February 12th
The JV Blazers won their 18th game of the season versus Simeon. The final score was 34-14. The Blazers were led in scoring by Lija Siliunas with 11, Catherine Busam had 7 and Maggie O’Connor added 6 points. The Blazers record is 18-6, with the final game of the season tonight versus Bogan.
IN THE NEWS - February 10
ESPNChicago.com's Athlete of Week
There is nothing Trinity's Megan Podkowa can't do on the court
By Scott Powers ESPNChicago.com
Trinity's Megan Podkowa averages a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds per game.
Trinity coach Eddie Stritzel calls 6-foot-1 forward Megan Podkowa his team's Larry Bird.
The thing is Podkowa, a sophomore, doesn't exactly know who Bird is. She was still a few years from being born the last time Bird graced an NBA court.
Podkowa has been able to piece it together, though.
"I think Larry Bird made all his shots and took over the game when it needed to be done," Podkowa said. "I think when we're down, and we need a push, I start going and get into my rhythm."
There is that, but Stritzel's comparison goes beyond being clutch.
"I describe her as our Larry Bird-type of player because there's nothing she doesn't do well for us," Stritzel said.
Podkowa can score. She averages a team-high 17 points a game. She can rebound. Her eight rebounds a game are also a team-best. She leads the team in free throw shooting (82 percent) and is good for three blocks and two assists a game.
For all of it, she is the ESPNChicago.com Prep Athlete of the Week.
Top of Form
"She's the toughest matchup problem for anybody," said Stritzel, who began coaching Podkowa in sixth grade on a local travel team. "She's a legitimate 6-foot-1, but she's our best ball handler. She's too big for guards. If a guard tries to guard her, we post her up, and she has a tremendous post game. She has range from 22-23 feet. If a big girl guards her, she can step out."
Podkowa's full package has made life difficult for her opponents this season. In a recent win over Wheeling, she scored 29 points. She had 19 points and a couple late free throws to upset T.F. North earlier in the season. Against Stevenson, she went for a career-high 30 points.
Podkowa's numbers are legit, too. Trinity has played arguably the toughest schedule in the state. It has already gone up against eight teams in ESPNChicago.com's top 20, is scheduled to still play another and has also faced a few that were once ranked.
"It suits Megan perfect," Stritzel said. "She can play big, she can play small, she can play fast."
Podkowa enjoys playing great competition, but ...
"I don't think we've really had one easy night," Podkowa said. "Every game we have to come to play. I think I would like a day off just to relax and not be nervous."
A year ago, Podkowa didn't have to worry about being nervous. She averaged seven points and was a role player on a veteran team that went 28-4 and reached a sectional championship game. This season, the Blazers are a whole lot younger, and she believes she is expected to perform.
"I felt I needed to step up this year," Podkowa said. "I was looking forward to it. On my grammar school team, I was always the scorer. I was excited to be the one people look to for inspiration and motivation. There's also pressure that comes along with it, especially if we lose, and I don't score enough points."
Podkowa hasn't let her team down often. The Blazers are 19-8, ranked No. 14 in the area and primed for another postseason run.
College coaches have certainly noticed what Podkowa is capable of. She already has received a number of letters, including from DePaul and Loyola.
As she continues to improve her skills over the next two seasons, her goal is to catch the interest of Notre Dame, her dream school, and mold her game like her basketball idols -- Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose and former Chicago Sky forward Brooke Wyckoff.
"I really try to play like Derrick Rose," she said. "I just like the way he can get to the basket so well, and he can finish. He has some moves I wish I could do. Brooke was taller and played in the post, but she could hit the 3. I thought of her as being the type of player I could be when I grow up."
She will always be Larry Bird to her coach, though.
Scott Powers covers high school and college sports for ESPNChicago.com and can be reached at preps@espnchicago.com.
February 1st
The Trinity Blazers defeated De La Salle in the opening round of the GCAC Tournament by a score of 49-23. The Blazers were led by Megan Podkowa, 14 points; Grace Sanchez, 8 points and Taylor Nazon with 6 points.
Their next game is Wednesday, February 3rd at Trinity, 5:30 vs. Loyola. Come out and support the Blazers!!
January 23
The JV Blazers beat Whitney Young for the second time this year. The final score was 38-34, as the Blazers held off a frantic late game charge by Whitney Young. The scoring was very balanced – Catherine Busam scored 8 points, Vicky Harris and Abby Ramirez tallied 6 points, and 3 players had 4 points each. Next game is Wednesday at Oak Park.
January 27th
The Varsity Blazers improved their record to 16-6 after a 46-32 win at OPRF. Leading the way for the Blazers were Tarika Linzy with 12 points, Megan Podkowa with 11 points, and Grace Sanchez with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Next game is Saturday versus Wheeling.
The JV Blazers improved their record to 14-5 after a 43-29 win at OPRF. Leading the way for the Blazers were Maggie O’Connor and Catherine Busam with 9 points each, Abby Ramirez scored 6 points. Next game is Saturday versus Wheeling.
December 10
The varsity basketball team defeated Queen of Peace 54-25. The leading scorers were Shannon McGinnis, 15 points and Megan Podkowa, 11 points, and Taylor Nazon, 9 points. Gracie Sanchez contributed with 6 points and 6 assists.
The JV Blazers played their first road game of the season and defeated Queen of Peace 48-16. The Blazers moved the ball well on offense. Nine players scored in this contest, led by Bryanna Slaughter with 14 points. Catherine Busam and Vicki Harris each scored 6 points, Maggie O’Connor added 5 points. The Blazers also played well on the defensive end.
Both the A and B freshmen basketball teams won against conference rival Queen of Peace. The A team won 42-20 led by 16 points from Alyssa Ruehl and the B team got 10 points each from Emily Farrell and Anna Terrizo and won 37-3.
December 7
Trinity Varsity defeated Regina 46-13. Sophomore Megan Podkowa scored 10 points, Junior Divinity Brown scored 8 points, Sophomore Victoria Harris scored 8 points and Freshman Taylor Nazon scored 6 points. Trinity’s overall record is 7 and 2 (2 and 0 in GCAC). Trinity is currently ranked # 14 in the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune.
The JV Blazers improved their overall record to 5-2, 1-1 in conference, with a 29-19 victory over Regina. The Blazers were led in scoring by Lija Siliunas with 8 and Bryanna Slaughter with 7. Next game : Queen of Peace – Thursday.
December 5
Trinity Varsity defeated Resurrection 36-23 Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Megan Podkowa led Trinity with 13 points, Freshman Taylor Nazon added 8 points and freshman Shannon McGinnis added 5 points. The overall record is 6 and 2. Trinity is currently rated #14 in the Chicago Sun Times.
The JV Blazers lost their conference opener to Resurrection 41-38. It was a very close game from start to finish with the visitors prevailing in the end.
Leading scorers for the Blazers were Abby Ramirez with nine and Lexxus Soristo with eight. The Blazers overall record drops to 4-2 after the loss. Next game Monday versus Regina.
The Freshman basketball Blazers with the help of Alyssa Ruehl's 24 points, defeated conference foe Resurrection 48-19. Gabby Parravicini added 10 points and 6 different girls scored in the game. The freshman record is 4-0 and 1-0 in the conference. The Blazers play in a conference game tonight at Regina.
December 2
TRINITY IN THE NEWS – CHICAGO SUN TIMES, BY TINA AKOURIS
Super soph powers Trinity vs. T.F. North
Megan Podkowa’s 19 points and clutch free-throw shooting enabled No. 18 Trinity to beat visiting T.F. North 46-42 Wednesday in River Forest.
Podkowa, a sophomore, went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the game’s final 30 seconds to seal the win. Leading by only a point with 31.5 seconds to play, Podkowa made both free throws to give Trinity a 45-42 lead. She then made one more in the game’s closing seconds to account for the final.
Trinity (4-2) had a 12-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but squandered it when No. 8 T.F. North went on a 9-0 spurt. T.F. North’s Centrese McGee’s basket with 1:36 to play tied it at 41. But the Meteors never took the lead in the quarter.
“They were pressuring us a lot more [in the fourth quarter] and we weren’t handling it as well as we did earlier in the game,” Podkowa said. “And we were getting a little crazy, but we pulled it together in the end.”
Jeanise Randolph led T.F. North (5-2) with 13 points. Centrese McGee and Gia Ezell added nine points each.
Trinity freshman Mikayla Leyden went down with a sprained left knee late in the first quarter.
December 2
TRINITY IN THE NEWS- Chicago Tribune, by Steve Reaven
Girls basketball: Trinity 46, No. 9 T.F. North 42
Girls basketball: Trinity holds on for upset against T.F. North
The maturation of the Trinity girls basketball team continued Wednesday with a 46-42 victory against No. 9 Thornton Fractional North.
The host Blazers, who started two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior, saw their 12-point fourth-quarter evaporate but showed enough moxie to come out on top.
"It definitely got nerve-racking, but we knew that holding our composure would be very important," Trinity freshman guard Taylor Nazon said. "But I had confidence that we were going to win. I just didn't know how close we were going to let it get."
The score was tied 41-41 with 1 minute, 43 seconds remaining. The Blazers (5-2) held a double-digit lead for most of the third quarter following a 14-1 surge spanning the second and third quarters.
Megan Podkowa's back-to-back 3-pointers gave Trinity a 24-17 halftime lead. A 6-1 run in the first three and a half minutes of the third put the Blazers ahead 30-18.
"Those 3s really got the team energized," Podkowa said. "That was a big boost because the game was so close early, and it got us some confidence."
Trinity's 12-point lead was wiped away by a 9-0 spurt from T.F. North (5-2) to begin the fourth quarter. The run was spearheaded by Illinois-bound guard Centrese McGee, who scored eight of her nine points in the final quarter.
The run coincided with T.F. North's full-court pressure, which began to bother the Blazers (21 turnovers), who were without starting guard Mikayla Leyden (knee) for the final three-plus quarters.
Trinity scored five of the game's final six points, all from the foul line.
"I think if we keep coming together like we did tonight, we'll be better off in the long run," Trinity sophomore center Gracie Sanchez said.
Player of the game: Megan Podkowa, Trinity, 17 points, 4 rebounds.
Key performers: Trinity -- Gracie Sanchez, 5 points, 11 rebounds; Taylor Nazon, 8 points. T.F. North -- Jeanise Randolph, 13 points, 11 rebounds.
December 2
The Trinity Varsity Basketball Team defeated Thornton Fractional North 46-42. Megan Podkowa scored 17 points. Gracie Sanchez had 5 points, 11 rebounds and limited TFN’s leading scorer to 13 points. Trinity had key contributions from freshman Taylor Nazon, Shannon McGinnis and Juniors Divinity Brown and Sam Ruehl. Our overall record is 5-2.
The JV Blazers improved their record to 4-1, after a 58-35 victory versus Thornton Fractional North. The Blazers started quickly and played a very strong first half, then coasted to victory in the second half. The Blazers had contributions from all players. The Blazers had a very balanced offensive attack. The Blazers were led in scoring by Lija Siliunas (12), Catherine Busam (9), and Kelly Barzowski (8).
November 24th
This was a very hard fought, well played game by both teams that ended 39-39 in regulation. It could not have been a more exciting game - the lead changed many times in this contest – neither team ever backed down. The Blazers had a two point lead with twenty seconds remaining in the game but Loyola hit a big basket to tie the game and we went to OT. In OT, the Blazers got down early and were forced to foul to stop the clock. Loyola did not miss at the line and the final score was 53-48.
The entire team played very well on both ends of the court. Leading the team in scoring was Lija Siliunas with 10, followed by Catherine Busam with 9 and Kelly Barzowski added 7. The team will play tonight at 7:30 p.m. vs. Whitney Young.
November 23
The Trinity Varsity basketball Team defeated Benet Academy 47-29. Their overall record is 2-1 and 2-0 in the Naperville Central basketball tournament.
Megan Podkowa scored 19 points. Mikayla Leyden scored 9 points. Shannon McGinnis had a team leading 5 steals with exceptional defense. Grace Sanchez had 12 rebounds. Taylor Nazon scored 5 points.
Trinity defeated Zion-Benton in the 1st round of the Trinity JV Basketball Invite.
The Trinity Blazers were hitting on all cylinders as they jumped out to a 21-5 1st quarter lead and cruised to a 53-34 victory. The Blazers played very good defense throughout the game and were very patient and unselfish on the offensive end, passing the ball very well and getting good looks on every possession. Ten players scored in this contest led by Lija Siliunas with 10, Lex Soristo with 9, Catherine Busam and Kelly Barzowski with 7 points each.
November 21
The Varsity Basketball team defeated Joliet, 54-31 in the opening round of the Naperville Central basketball tournament. Leading scorers for the Blazers were Megan Podkowa, 19 points and Mikayla Leyden with 11 points
November 17
The JV Blazers won an exciting come from behind victory 31-26 versus Morgan Park. After a bad start, the Blazers regrouped and outscored their opponents 22-13 in the second half. The offense was led by Catherine Busam with 14 points. She made 4 straight shots down the stretch to secure the win. Kelly Barsowski added 8 points and sealed the deal with some clutch free throws at the end of the game. Vicki Harris and Lex Soristo played well and provided good interior defense, rebounding and scoring
The freshman basketball team defeated Morgan Park 45-10. The girls passed the ball well and played very unselfishly. Alyssa Ruehl had 14 points and Tylr Gbala had 10 points. A real nice win and start to the season.
