Senior forward Morgan Feil has been the model of consistency lately for Mother McAuley.
And yet, you have to forgive Feil if she’s absolutely unaware of what she has been accomplishing statistically this season for the Mighty Macs.
Quite simply, she just goes out and does her job.
“I haven’t really thought about that,” Feil said. “I’m not like, ‘Oh, I need to score that much.’ I try to keep it maintained. I don’t really think about it.”
Feil just keeps thinking good thoughts, including scoring 11 points and grabbing six rebounds Monday night in a 58-46 GCAC Red victory over Providence in New Lenox.
Forty-eight hours earlier, she had 18 points and seven rebounds in a 59-48 win over Hersey in a Grow the Game Shootout game at Hinsdale Central.
Similar statistics equating to two key victories is about as consistent as it gets for McAuley (14-5, 4-0). How does she maintain that consistency?
“She works hard on rebounding,” McAuley coach Curtis Lewis said. “She’s physical and that gives her an advantage, just to get those offensive and defensive rebounds.”
Providence (11-10, 1-3) got a solid game from junior point guard Molly Knight, who tallied 16 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Gabi Bednar, who recently eclipsed 1,000 career points, added 12.
Meanwhile, Feil’s performance augmented the performance of senior guard Grace Gambotz, who scored 17 points and made three 3-pointers. Feil, Gambotz and senior guard Maeve Egan are four-year varsity players.
In fact, Feil and Egan have been playing basketball together since third grade at Mount Greenwood Elementary School. They’ve also played travel on and off for years, most recently with the Illinois Defenders.
“We’ve been with each other a long time,” Feil said, prompting Egan to chuckle.
The pair remember distinctly their pandemic-shortened freshman season on varsity, which they both said set the standard for how these seniors have worked to uphold over their varsity careers.
“It was cool because we had a lot of upperclassmen to look up to, and a lot of the seniors took us under their wing,” Egan said. “It was a weird year.
“We were really young and still learning, but it was a good year to learn and build off.”
As seniors, Feil and Egan have focused their efforts on team leadership, which is important considering the Mighty Macs suit up a freshman and three sophomores.
Speaking up, but in a way that builds relationships, is key.
“All the seniors, I think we’re very vocal, so I think that was definitely something we all needed to work on this year,” Feil said. “I think we’ve all carried it very well.”
Lewis said Feil, in particular, has grown in the leadership area.
“Morgan’s pretty quiet,” Lewis said. “I would say this year, she’s gotten more vocal, way more than she did last year.”
As for Egan, Lewis said she’s a master at doing all the little things that don’t end up on a stat sheet.
For example, late in the third quarter Monday, she managed to get her hands on an errant pass, then drove the lane from the 3-point line for a layup.
After high school, Egan is off to St. Xavier to play basketball, while Feil will play at downstate McKendree. But for now, with the playoffs on the horizon, Feil and Egan are focusing on consistency and doing the little things.
And the Mighty Macs’ tough schedule has also been a big help.
“I really like it,” Egan said. “Our record doesn’t technically show how good we are because we’ve been playing some of the best teams in the state.
“We lost a lot of close ones, and it’s good because we’re learning from them. It will help us a lot in the postseason.”
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
