Lincoln-Way East’s Olivia King patiently waits her turn on the bench.
Lately, when she’s called upon, the 5-foot-11 junior guard delivers the goods.
“I try to focus in before I get in the game,” she said. “When I get in, I try to do the best that I can and I don’t worry about making little mistakes.”
There hasn’t been much to worry about recently with King, who came off the bench at the start of the second quarter Monday night and scored a quick basket.
She went on to lead a balanced scoring attack with 10 points in helping the host Griffins pull off a 49-46 SouthWest Suburban Conference victory over Andrew in Frankfort.
In the fourth, King started the quarter with a big assist and then blocked a shot with 2:26 left. it came after she led the Griffins off the bench with 16 points on Jan. 27 in a 42-29 win over Sandburg.
“Olivia has been coming on strong, and she can do a lot of things for us,” Lincoln-Way East coach Jim Nair said. “She really knows how to move without the basketball.
“She can pass, she can take the ball to the basket and she has an outside shot.”
Kennedy Johnson and Ellie Guyette each scored nine points for the Griffins (16-11, 6-6). Johnson notched eight of her 12 rebounds in the first quarter and added two blocked shots. Kaitlyn Dykstra scored all eight of her points in the fourth, including five free throws in the final 58 seconds.
Ana Cisek led Andrew (14-11, 6-6) with 18 points on the strength of four 4-pointers. Christa Olson scored all 12 of her points in the second half and also tallied seven rebounds and three steals.
King, meanwhile, has been key during this stretch for the Griffins, who are 6-2 since Jan. 10.
“I love having ‘Liv’ on my team,” Johnson said of King. “She’s always there. She knows when to drive baseline and she knows when to take the shot.
“She has really good footwork, and it’s just awesome having her on the team.”
Johnson’s big rebounding performance in the first eight minutes highlighted a low-scoring quarter that left the two teams staring at a 6-6 draw.
“It was a slow first quarter and shots weren’t hitting,” Johnson said. “So, I knew I had to be more aggressive on the boards. I knew I had to get them so we could get a second chance.”
King pointed out that she started playing basketball in fourth grade. King and teammate Emerson Nilsson played in the Oaks Fitness and Recreation League in Mokena.
“Some of my best friends decided to do it together,” King said. “I tried other sports. I played golf and I liked it, but I wanted to focus on basketball this year and keep it going.”
Monday’s game started on an emotional note. It was senior night, with the two teams allowing Cisek and Lincoln-Way East senior Madison Zaremba to score uncontested baskets.
Zaremba, who missed the regular season with a knee injury, tearfully hugged her teammates after making the layup.
“She was hurt in June and has been working her butt off to try to get back,” Johnson said of Zaremba. “We’re all very proud of her because she’s always the first one here, even if she is not able to get on the court.”
“Madison is one of the best defensive players to come through our program,” Nair said. “She was able to get into the books. It’s a moment she will always remember, and we appreciate all she has done for the program.”
King confirmed it was a special moment for the team.
“I’m very happy for her,” King said of Zaremba.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
