Young may not have a perfect record, but teams from Illinois are finding the Public League champions unbeatable.
Monday it was Loyola’s turn to find out just how good the Dolphins are. Sophomore D’Frantz Smart scored a game-high 16 to lead Young to a 49-29 Class AA supersectional victory before 2,661 at Loyola University’s Gentile Center.
The victory lifted Young to 28-2–both losses to out-of-state opponents–and into a return trip to the state quarterfinals. The Dolphins, third in Class AA last season, will face Bishop McNamara on Friday.
Loyola found it tough to contain Smart, who is listed at 5 feet 3 inches but in truth is closer to 5 feet. She connected on four of eight three-point attempts to constantly frustrate the Ramblers (29-4), who were trying to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1999.
“I played as a freshman, but this year I became more confident,” Smart said. “I worked on my game in the summertime, worked on my shot. Coach [Corry Irvin] told me I had to develop a jump shot–and that’s what I did.”
Smart’s first three-pointer came with 17 seconds left in the first quarter to cut Loyola’s lead to 6-5. Young led only 11-8 when she hit her next three. Her last one came with three seconds left in the third quarter and gave Young a 34-20 cushion.
All-American Amanda Thompson contributed eight points, 13 rebounds and three steals.
The Dolphins controlled the game and the ball–they had six turnovers to Loyola’s 13.
