Trinity basketball’s game against Girls Catholic Athletic Conference opponent Mother McAuley last week was more like a three-point contest, however the winner of the long toss was actually the loser of the game.
The Blazers (17-5, 5-1) outlasted Mother McAuley for a 68-56 conference win, despite the Mighty Macs dropping nine three-pointers-five of which came from Val Zulevic. Trinity didn’t shy away from launching a shot from behind the three-point arc either, hitting five in the contest, two of which came from an unlikely source in center Amanda Macchione.
“I just was open, so I took the shots,” laughed Macchione after the victory. The senior finished with 14 points.
Although McAuley scored first on a three-pointer, it was the only lead they would enjoy for the game. Monica Albano came out on fire, scoring the first eight points for Trinity, helping to give the Blazers a comfortable lead after the first quarter, 27-13. The hot shooting cooled off for both teams in the second quarter, and McAuley only lopped off one point from Trinity’s lead, 37-24 by the break.
In the third quarter, McAuley whittled the lead down to eight. The fourth quarter hinted that the game could get much closer when the Mighty Macs continued to hit three-pointers, cutting the lead to four. Albano would have none of that and quickly hit a trey to help build back the lead.
“They have good three-point shooters. We did our defense, but that is what kept them in the game,” said Albano, who led all scorers with 24 points.
Trinity’s Lykendra Johnson finished with 21 points, five blocked shots and seven rebounds.
“Mother McAuley is a good team. They are very scrappy. We didn’t execute in the second half like we should have, but we still came away with the ‘W’,” said Johnson.
Zulevic led McAuley with 17 points and Mo Sullivan contributed 15.
On Monday, the Blazers took on St. Ignatius in another conference match-up. Trinity upended Ignatius 59-39. Johnson led the onslaught with 18 points.
“We’re doing a real nice job. I like where we’re headed,” said Trinity head coach Ed Stritzel. The Blazers host Thornwood on Saturday (2:30 p.m.).