As the Glenbrook South Titans girls basketball players ecstatically embraced each other moments after their Sectional Semi-final win, the mood was much more somber just a few feet away. Most of the Lady Wolves began to cry, as they realized their season, and for some their career, had finally come to an end.
The Lady Wolves lost the Sectional semi-final to the Titans 48-46, even though senior star Jewell Loyd had 31 points to go along with 14 rebounds and 3 steals in her final game for West.
“It’s been a great season, it sucks that we had to lose like this, but we did what we could tonight,” Loyd said with tears in her eyes.
The game itself was a back and forth affair from the beginning. West jumped ahead to an 3-0 lead on a three pointer from the corner by sophomore Alex Galanopolous, but the Lady Wolves went on a cold streak after the first possesion, and ended the quarter down 9-5 to GBS.
The Titans dominated for most of the second quarter, but West reeled them in to end the half pulling the lead to within four (21-17) after three straight baskets by Loyd (10 points in the half), and a steal and breakaway layup by junior Molly Kleppin.
The Lady Wolves carried their new-found energy over into the second half, going on a 4-0 run to start the third and tying the game, before the Titans responded with an 11-0 run of their own.
The energy shifted back to West after loyd took a charge on Glenbrook Souths leading scorer senior Abby Keller, giving her four fouls in the game. Even with the momentum on their side, the third quarter ended with the Lady Wolves still down 34-26.
The Titans scored first in the fourth, but thanks to a full court trap and some key steals, West was able to play their way back into the game. The two teams traded points back and forth until the buzzer, and West almost pulled off the comeback.
Loyd scored 16 of her 31 points in the fourth, including a three with 18.7 seconds left to cut the lead to two, but it wasn’t enough, as the Lady Wolves eventually lost 48-46 at the end of regulation.
West received key contributions from Loyd in her final game for west, as well as Kleppin (eight points in the game, four in the fourth), and Galanopolous (five points in the game).
Varsity Head Coach Tony Konsewicz thought that the game itself was amazing, but that he wished the outcome could have been different.
“It was a heck of a ball game, both teams played great, and I’m so proud of our girls, but I guess it was just too little too late,” Konsewicz said.
