Nazon helps Trinity rally for win over Marist

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Trinity's Lauren Prochaska fights off a Marist player, during Monday's game at the 22nd annual McDonald's Shootout. | Tamara Bell~Sun Times Media

Updated: February 20, 2012 9:03AM

The schools may be miles apart, but Saturday’s game between Trinity and Marist was still for neighborhood bragging rights.

“I went to the same grammar school with those girls — Je’Taun Rouse, Asiana Bey, Leah Bolton and Randyll Butler,” Trinity junior guard Taylor Nazon said. “We were supposed to go to the same high school together, but I was the one who kind of branched out.

“There was a lot of stuff talking before the game, but I love them to death,” Nazon added. “I’m not going to rub it in. They’re a great team, a great team.”

Nazon had 15 points, including two big three-pointers in the fourth quarter that helped the Blazers overcome a 42-41 deficit, and Megan Podkowa added 17 points and nine rebounds as No. 4 Trinity (17-1) handed Marist its first loss of the season, 57-52, at the McDonald’s Shootout at Willowbrook.

Saturday marked the first time the five former teammates played against each other in a varsity game.

“I was hurt last year when we won in double overtime and Megan had a career-high 38 points,” Nazon said. “So I was really excited to come back and be involved in a win this year.”

A win appeared all but assured early in the third quarter when Trinity opened a 13-point lead at 33-20 on a basket by Nazon with 6:04 remaining. The Blazers’ lead was still 10 at 37-27 when Mikayla Leyden scored with 2:56 left.

But No. 3 Marist (19-1) went on a 15-4 run over the next 3:10 to take its first lead since the first quarter at 42-41.

“We were in a little foul trouble in the second half,” Trinity coach Ed Stritzel said. “We felt like we did a wonderful job against their half-court offense. We felt we had all their sets down. We let them down in transition more than we wanted to, so that was not good.”

But the Blazers got a basket by Shannon McGinnis and Nazon’s two treys to rebuild a 49-44 lead, and Nazon and Podkowa combined to make 6-of-8 free throws in the final 2:39 to stymie the RedHawks.

“Our girls are resilient,” Stritzel said. “It’s never easy, but we’re playing the toughest schedule and our girls find a way to do it. Some teams play a tough game every two months. We play one every week. We didn’t play our best offense today, but our team is growing.”

Rouse scored 18 points, Bolton added 14 and Bey had nine points and six rebounds for Marist, which hurt itself with early turnovers and was 0-of-10 from the three-point line and just 8-of-16 from the free-throw line.

“The girls kind of shot themselves in the foot in the first quarter with unforced turnovers,” Marist coach Mary Pat Connolly said. “That was all our own fault. But boy, they really turned it on and came back in the second half and they played with everything that they had.

“How can you be disappointed? It was a great girls basketball game. Hats off to Trinity.”

Leyden added six points for Trinity and McGinnis and Alyssa Dengler each had five.

“We’re building after that loss to Whitney Young,” Nazon said. “We’re always looking back to that and trying to build up so when we see them again in sectionals we’ll come back and be able to get that win.”