Morales' Three Spree Sparks JCA

The numbers on the scoreboard were blunt to Joliet Catholic Academy junior Miranda Morales.

“We realized that we were down and we’re better than this,” Morales said of the Angels facing a 48-22 deficit heading into the fourth quarter Tuesday night. “We knew that we had to try and step it up.”

Baby steps.

Never has a theme for a girls basketball team been more appropriate. On Junior High Night, St. Patrick product Morales came off the bench and sank four 3-pointers en route to finishing with a team-high 14 points as host JCA dropped a 58-45 nonconference decision to resurgent Plainfield Central.

In the fourth quarter, Morales shot 3-of-7 from 3-point range and scored 11 points as JCA (1-5) rallied with a 23-10 run. Morales ended up shooting 4-of-12 overall from the floor, 4-of-11 on threes, and contributed 3 steals. The Angels shot 28.3 percent (17-of-60), with 18.5 percent on threes.

Playing without junior forwards TreVonya McClain (root canal) and Haley Salata (leg injury), the Angels received a boost from freshman guard Lauren Vanisko, who notched 5 rebounds and 3 steals and swished a 3-pointer. But JCA could not erase deficits of 18-5 after one quarter and 31-14 at halftime.

“I thought Miranda and Lauren, a couple of guards who came off the bench, really played hard for us,” JCA coach Ed Schodrof said. “I can’t sugarcoat it – for three quarters, the effort was not the style we have tried to build here the last four years. And give Plainfield Central credit because they played well.”

“JCA’s a super-athletic team,” Plainfield Central coach Mark Krusz said. “They’re very quick, and once they learn what they’re trying to do, they’ll be fine. They’re just as young as you can be. I thought that our senior leadership helped us out and ultimately was the difference in the game.”

The difference-maker for the Wildcats (6-2) was senior guard Brigid Hanley with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. She shot 6-of-10 from the floor, 6-of-9 from the line and 2-of-3 on threes.

“Having Hanley, their point guard, back from the ACL injuries helps that team out a lot,” Schodrof said of the Wildcats, who won only three games last year. “But give Mark a ton of credit for turning that team around. They played a smooth, clean game with their passing, positioning and their defensive system.”

Thankfully, it’s early. Senior forward Shannon Butler, from Plainfield’s Ira Jones, had 8 points and 8 rebounds and sophomore guard Naomi Mayes marked 7 points, 5 steals, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. The Angels open the conference season Thursday night in the Student Activity Center against Nazareth.

“We have a solid team and we know we’re better than what we showed,” Morales said. “We definitely felt, even with the margin in the game, that we could come back and we’ll play better in our next game.”