Nobody pushes Stagg junior Nicole Vacha around.
At least nobody did in a recent game against Dist. 230 rival Sandburg — although they certainly tried.
On one play Vacha pulled down an offensive rebound, converted the putback, was fouled and hit the free throw.
On another, Vacha and teammate Jaime Ryan used a double team to force a turnover. Vacha grabbed the ball and broke for the basket. Once again, she delivered with a 3-point play.
“That felt good,” Vacha said. “Especially the one where we had the steal. Jaime tipped it to me and I got it. It’s nice when we work together.”
Those two plays in the third quarter were the turning point for the Chargers, who posted a come-from-behind 45-38 victory.
Vacha finished with a team-high 13 points.
The toughest kid on the court prevailed.
“Toughest? I don’t know about that,” Vacha said, laughing. “I know the coaches tell me to work hard (underneath) and get rebounds. I feel it’s one of my strong points.”
Vacha, a 5-foot-11 forward, is averaging 9.1 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Chargers (14-7), who will finish with a winning record for the first time since 2013-14.
“Last year as a sophomore she starting stepping up for us,” Stagg coach Bill Turner said of Vacha. “She rebounds well for us, plays good defense and scores. I don’t give her much rest, either.
“We’re trying to get Nicole to play more aggressively, and she’s coming through.”
Tough break: Senior night Thursday at Oak Forest was bittersweet for Kelsey Kolecki. The senior point guard came out for the pregame in a wheelchair.
Kolecki’s high school career ended on Jan. 18 in a game against Bremen, when she suffered an ACL tear in her left leg.
“I was just having a normal crossover, and I guess I moved too fast,” Kolecki said. “My leg moved too slow and it just twisted with me. It felt like a sprained ankle, but it turned out to be a lot worse.
“I’ve known so many people who have torn their ACLs. I just never thought it was going to happen to me. I’m always falling in games … but this time it was an ACL.”
Kolecki was averaging 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals for the Bengals (10-13). Before the injury, she had missed just one game in four varsity seasons.
“She was the glue,” Oak Forest coach Jeff Kelly said. “Every single girl looked up to her and loved her. She’s such a hard worker, an athlete and a great leader.
“In four years she never complained about an injury. She’s a tough kid.”
Kolecki, a three-sport athlete, also was a starting libero in girls volleyball and a starting shortstop in softball. She hopes to play college basketball.
“I’m not committed yet, but hopefully soon,” Kolecki said. “A lot of coaches have been really good to me about (the injury). I’m excited. I’ll be fine, and I’ll come back stronger.”
Nice surprise: Michelle Jerantowski sat out her junior season to concentrate on soccer and heal up a stress fracture in her left foot. Lemont coach Tracy Rainey was more than happy to welcome the 5-5 guard back as a senior.
Jerantowski, a goalkeeper, has committed to play soccer in college at Jacksonville.
In her final season as a basketball player, Jerantowski is averaging 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds for the Indians (12-11). But her impact has been much greater, according to Rainey.
“She’s a kid that stats don’t truly show what she does,” Rainey said. “I tend to put her on the best offensive player on the opposing team, and she works her butt off. She’s physical, she’s strong and she leads us on that defensive end.”
Jerantowski embraces the challenge.
“I love to compete and I love being a two-sport athlete,” she said. “I’ve been playing basketball since the third grade and I wanted to finish my senior year with all of my friends who I love to have fun with.”
Twitter @tbaranek
Top 10
Records included through Sunday, with last week’s rankings in parentheses.
1. Lincoln-Way East 23-3 (1)
2. Mother McAuley 19-6 (2)
3. Marist 19-4 (3)
4. Marian Catholic 20-6 (4)
5. Argo 17-6 (5)
6. Lincoln-Way West 22-3 (6)
7. Evergreen Park 20-3 (7)
8. Crete-Monee 15-8 (8)
9. Thornwood 18-6 (9)
10. Richards 17-4 (NR)
Player of the Week: Senior center Shamarre Hale had 24 points and 14 rebounds as Crete-Monee defeated Rich Central 46-32.
