Bill Clinton was president, George W. Bush was just the son of a former president and Bob Knight still wore Indiana–not Texas Tech–red.
Only four years ago Loyola’s girls basketball team was on top of the world, between back-to-back state titles.
But things have not been the same for Loyola since. Saturday the Ramblers traveled 35 miles to the Southwest Side for a 35-29 loss to No. 6 Mother McAuley.
Loyola fell to 5-7, 0-2 in the GCAC, and is in danger of becoming coach Tanya Johnson’s first sub-.500 team in 17 years. But the result was closer than expected.
“I have never been as happy after a loss as I am today,” Johnson said.
Amy Harmening, one of five senior starters–three of them at least 6 feet–led the unbeaten Mighty Macs (8-0, 3-0) with 11 points and seemed relieved to escape with this one.
“Loyola always comes on strong. Every year they want it bad,” said Harmening, whose seven third-quarter points helped Mother McAuley prevent what could have been a disastrous loss. “They hustle up and down the court all the time and play with a lot of heart.”
That hustle produced the spectacular–like sophomore Maggie Duggan’s three-pointer with 35 seconds left in the third quarter that cut Loyola’s deficit to 29-24. But Loyola, a team with two seniors, two juniors, five sophomores, two freshmen and no one taller than 5-11, also committed 26 turnovers to McAuley’s 13.
“Our record isn’t good, we’re short, young–it’s really hard,” said Johnson, whose Ramblers were led by the 5-6 Duggan’s 13 points and five rebounds. “But this is what coaches want. They want effort. We took a step up and gave them a game.”
Mother McAuley, which made only 11 of its 33 shots from the field, now must get ready for an important non-conference game against once-beaten No. 7 Hinsdale Central on Wednesday.
“Give Loyola credit–those young kids played with a lot of poise and our seniors didn’t,” Macs coach Rick Mundo said.
But then he remembered what his 4 1/2-year-old son said after the game.
“Ricky says, `Good game, dad,’ and I told him we played terrible,” Mundo said.
“`But you won.'”
Smart kid.
