In the third quarter of Friday’s IHSA Class 4A semifinal game, Loyola guard Clare Weasler forced a turnover after tipping the ball from behind.
Her turnover gave Loyola the last possession of the quarter with 16 seconds left. After bleeding the clock down, the Ramblers worked the ball around to get an open three-pointer by senior guard Marycait Mackie. Those two plays encapsulate how the Ramblers have put themselves in position to win their second 4A state championship after Friday’s 46-33 win over Rolling Meadows.
Defense is the bedrock of Loyola’s success and it showed up Friday. They held Rolling Meadows junior guard Nellie Osterhues to 2-for-11 shooting from the field. Weasler and Mackie are seasoned guards on the championship stage. Both played pivotal roles in the 2024 state championship win and were starters on last year’s fourth-place team.
Weasler and Mackie are relentless in their on-ball pressure. They slide their feet to cut off drives and defend without fouling. Despite their dimiuntitive size, they can also bother opposing post players. Weasler finished with seven points and four steals. Mackie scored 11 points on 50% shooting with three rebounds and two steals.
“It’s a luxury, but these two have been doing it forever,” Ramblers coach Jeremy Schoenecker said.
Junior forward Mdadison Locke led the Ramblers with 15 points — 11 in the second half — and eight rebounds. Junior forward Emily Naraky added nine points, six rebounds and four assists.
Locke is an impressive driver. She can finish through contact and is a strong shooter off the dribble.
“[I just] have confidence in myself and the team, knowing if I have the option to score I can, but I also have such great shooters on the perimeter to just kick it out to,” Locke said. “Eventually, everything would fall.”
Whereas last year’s team was led by the dynamic ability of Aubrey Galvan — now at Vanderbilt — this year’s team can have a different leading scorer on any given night.
“These guys are tremendous scorers [and] are willing to get the basketball up,” Schoenecker said.
