DGN Girls Defeat HInsdale Central 70-46

Coming off a tough overtime loss at Oak Park-River Forest, Coach Leslie Dehn and the Lady Trojans (6-3, 3-1) hosted a Hinsdale Central team looking for its first win of the season. 

 Dehn was correct in her assessment that the loss to Oak Park could serve as the wake-up call the Trojans needed.While the Trojans may not have played with their typical defensive intensity in the first quarter, they outscored Hinsdale 12-10 in the first quarter getting 10 points from Mary (2 of her 8 points) Echemann and Amelia (8 points) Echemann on the way to a 70-46 victory.

Dehn acknowledged the team may have let the Oak Park game slip away from it and, as a result, put an even greater focus on defense by the second quarter. “As coaches we focused on the team being more active on defense and we switched more to a zone.”  The change in scheme and energy was profound as the Trojans went on a 15-point run at the beginning of the quarter.

Led by senior Alison Schuster, the interior defense was daunting as Hinsdale was limited to one shot on most possessions. The guards also pressured the ball at the entry point, forcing a number of turnovers. “We were able to close out on their shooters and we did a much better job of boxing out,” Dehn said.

At the other end of the court, North overpowered the Hinsdale defense, getting many second and third chances and converting them. Schuster also began imposing her will offensively, scoring six of her team-high 18 points in the second quarter. Downers took a 41-19 lead into the half.

Even though the Red Devils showed some initial life in the third quarter, the Trojans proved too tough amassing another 14-point run, fueled by the attacking style of Katie Hunzinger and Schuster. “We tried to get the ball in to Alison; we felt that we had an advantage there,” Dehn said.

Freshman guard Sarah Costello contributed four points, all during the third-quarter run. She also played an excellent defensive game, relentlessly pressuring the ball.  

The Trojans took a 58-34 lead into the fourth quarter. While Hinsdale never got closer than 18 points in the final quarter, the Trojans had to contend with senior Christine Rush (game high 21 points) until the bitter end. Maddie Roglich and Lily Sarros each added 8 points for the Red Devils who fell to (0-9, 0-5). 

Seniors Hunzinger (17 pts), Schuster (18 pts) , Amelia Echemann (17 pts) and Lisa Lutz (3 pts) came in with a goal and left having made a statement. Hunzinger could not hide the seniors’ “professional dislike” for Hinsdale Central and the recent one-sided rivalry.

“The seniors came into this game wanting to dominate and we began the game not so great defensively but we turned it around and finished really strong,” she said.

Of her “lifelong battle” with Hinsdale senior Avery Anderson, Hunzinger said, “I don’t really know her personally but we’ve been playing against each other since club ball, and when you are competing against someone for that long and who is that good and we’re at the same competitive level, it might get a little personal where you just want to get that edge on her.”

Dehn and the Trojans (7-3, 4-1) head into this weekend’s Wheaton North Tournament hoping to assert themselves defensively and compete for the title.