The Blazers have seemed to emerge from their first loss on the season — a 62-47 rough-up by Whitney Young on Dec. 17 — quite well. They defeated Fremd 65-50 behind Megan Podkowa’s 21 points and 11 rebounds, and they walloped St. Francis 53-14 in the first round of the Suburban Holiday Showcase. Stymied by Trinity’s defense, St. Francis made just 4 of 32 shots from the field.
The Blazers (11-1), who won the title last season, also grabbed wins over Lake Zurich, 63-37, and the host Loyola, 51-29, last week. Trinity is expected to be in the title game scheduled for Dec. 28 at Loyola.