It was an average performance by Cappie Pondexter’s own assessment: 29 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Not bad considering the Marshall guard dislocated her left shoulder less than three minutes into the No. 2 Lady Commandos’ 60-44 victory over visiting Proviso West in the Marshall round-robin tournament Thursday.
“I can’t use [the injury] as an excuse,” said the 5-foot-9-inch Rutgers-bound senior. “The team needed me. It was an average game. I thought I could’ve done better.”
Proviso West (6-2) might beg to differ. Pondexter, who made 12 of her 20 attempts from the field, ended the first, second and third quarters with a basket. And when the Lady Panthers cut the lead to single digits midway through the third quarter, Pondexter responded by scoring eight straight points to give the Commandos (4-0) a 51-34 advantage after the third quarter.
Pondexter opened the game by scoring six of Marshall’s first seven points, but with 5 minutes 32 seconds remaining in the first quarter she left the game after attempting an across-the-body left-handed layup. She re-entered the game with her team leading 13-10 with 2:06 left in the quarter and promptly made one of two free throws and capped the quarter with a drive at the buzzer, giving Marshall a 20-10 advantage.
“They popped the shoulder back in,” Pondexter said matter-of-factly. “It’s sore.”
Tiffany Sardin contributed 15 points, six rebounds and five steals for Marshall, which led 37-18 at halftime.
Proviso West was led by Ashley Owens’ 15 points. Khara Smith, the Lady Panthers’ center who was coming off a 36-point performance Wednesday, was in foul trouble most of the game and finished with nine points.
In the other Marshall tournament game, Morgan Park (6-3) defeated Manley 54-43 behind Tiffany Scott’s 28 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks.
In a battle of two of the top centers in the Public League, Scott got the best of Manley’s Monique Lloyd, who scored eight points and nine rebounds despite being hobbled by an ankle injury she sustained in the second quarter. Manley (3-4), which turned the ball over 27 times, was led by Sophia Harris’ 18 points.
— Sean Duncan
Neuqua Valley 68, Bartlett 50: Rnesha Baldwin scored 16 points and Lindsay Wisdom contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds for the No. 9 Wildcats (7-1, 2-0).
Benet 58, Marian Catholic 44: Jordan Wilson scored 18 points as the No. 10 Redwings (6-1, 1-0) won in the East Suburban Catholic. Wilson scored eight points in the first quarter as Benet jumped out to an 18-9 lead. Jana Panici had 15 points to lead No. 19 Marian.
Rich South 58, Bradley-Bourbonnais 26: Rachel Reed scored 26 points to lead the No. 20 Stars in the SICA South.
Stagg 39, Sandburg 33: Heather King’s 11 points and four steals led Stagg (7-0, 1-0) past No. 18 Sandburg (4-3, 0-1) in the SICA West opener. Sandburg–which received a team-high 11 points from Erika Nelson–led 30-29 with 2:04 remaining, but was outscored 10-3 to close the game.
Stagg coach Sharon Ostema, a 1989 Sandburg graduate, coached her first game against her former school. “I knew coming in what this rivalry was all about,” Ostema said. “I’m at Stagg now, and that’s where my heart is.”
Stagg, which forced Sandburg into 25 turnovers, sealed the game at the free-throw line. Lindsay Hushka was 4-of-4 in the final 30 seconds, finishing with six points, while Liz Ames (eight points) also was 4-of-4 in the fourth quarter.
Clemente 65, Von Steuben 56 (OT): Robin Cotton scored six of her 24 points in overtime to lead Clemente (1-1), while teammate Roseanna DeJesus finished with 21 points. Von Steuben (1-2) was paced by Stacy Johnson’s 33 points.
Clemente led 54-52 with two seconds remaining in regulation, but received a technical foul for calling a timeout when none were left. Von Steuben’s Johnson followed with a pair of free throws to force overtime.
Elmwood Park 55, Evergreen Park 51: Ashley Obrest scored 24 points and shot 6-of-8 from three-point range and Margaret Gorski added 22 points for the Tigers (4-1, 1-0) in the Suburban Prairie White.
Fenger 65, DuSable 43: Tomara Ford paced Fenger (6-3) with 17 points, while Maria Scott added 16 and Tyiesha Davis finished with 15.
Hinckley-Big Rock 64, Paw Paw 14: Stephanie Kokes scored 13 points as Hinckley-Big Rock (6-2, 1-0) cruised in its Little 10 opener.
Johnsburg 59, Huntley 38: The Skyhawks (5-1) cruised behind Lauren Martin’s 17 points.
Lake Park 60, DeKalb 48: Andrea Durante scored 19 points to lead the Lancers (4-4, 2-0) in the Upstate Eight.
Lemont 37, Westmont 28: Freshman Lauren Skowronski paced Lemont with 11 points in the Suburban Prairie White.
Lockport 38, Lincoln-Way 27: Sara Zembrzuski had 12 points to lead the Porters (4-2, 1-0) in the SICA West.
Lourdes 92, Holy Trinity 23: Shante Glenn tallied 29 points and seven steals for Lourdes (6-0, 1-0) in the GCAC Blue.
Lyons Township 49, Wheaton Warrenville South 41: Kory Begy and Kristen Feeney scored 16 points apiece for Lyons (5-1).
Reavis 39, Romeoville 38: Jennifer Brent scored on a putback of a missed free throw with 11 seconds left as the Rams (2-3, 1-0) held on in the SICA North. Katie King’s 19 points led Reavis.
Richards 50, Oak Lawn 37: Angie Maglaris scored 17 points and shot 5-of-6 from three-point range as the Bulldogs (8-0, 1-0) breezed in the SICA North.
Rich East 53, Rich Central 36: Terenya Harper scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Rich East (3-3, 1-0) in the SICA South.
Robeson 45, Chicago Vocational 44: Nikia Smith had 15 points to lead the Raiders (3-1).
St. Scholastica 44, Francis Parker 33: Mo Tekateka led St. Scholastica (2-2) with 15 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and seven steals.
Thornwood 62, Thornton 45: Tameka Harris scored 23 points and Courtney Slaughter added 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunderbirds (4-2, 1-0) in the SICA East.
Waubonsie Valley 46, St. Charles 37: Kami Bethke tallied 18 points and Rebecca Morice had 11 for Waubonsie Valley (6-2, 2-0) in the Upstate Eight. St. Charles (3-3, 0-1) was led by Nicole Manny’s 12 points.
Wheaton Academy 37, Illinois Math and Science 28: Katie Fichera’s 11 points led the Warriors (6-1).
Boys basketball
Buffalo Grove 56, Fremd 47: Trailing by two with six minutes remaining, Buffalo Grove received back-to-back three-pointers from Dave DeChamps and Jon Clancy to gain the lead for good in the Mid-Suburban crossover.
Steve Jerentina paced the Bison (1-3) with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Grant Sandstead added 12 points. Fremd was led by Pat Monaghan’s 14 points.
Gage Park 66, Senn 58: Lamar Grimes had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Owls (3-2). Ray Smith scored 25 points for Senn.
“We went to a box-and-one [after] Ray Smith scored 22 points in first half,” Gage Park coach Sterling Spencer said. “We started playing better defense and forced them to have someone else to handle ball and caused turnovers.”
Homewood-Flossmoor 69, Collins 61: Troy Watson tallied 21 points and four steals as the Vikings (5-1) rallied from an 11-point deficit. Wilson and Adam Dauksas made consecutive three-point baskets as H-F went on a 11-1 run in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
“We didn’t have it at the start of the game,” H-F coach Roy Condotti said. “We really didn’t start to settle down until late in the third quarter. It was a different experience for us, playing a Thursday afternoon game against a good team in a hostile environment.”
Schaumburg 72, Elk Grove 59: Tony Young scored 22 points and Zach Pancratz added 12 as the Saxons (4-0) breezed.
Wells 77, Hancock 54: Marcus Williams tallied 40 points and made four three-pointers as the Raiders (1-1) rolled.
Washington (Ill.) tournament: Michael Edwards’s 23 points led Austin past Washington (Ill.), 79-52. Kevin Allen added 18 points and Marcus Pettie had 15 points for Austin (3-1), which led 26-15 at the half.
