Girls basketball: Nora Ezike, Lyons Township pull away late from Glenbard West

GLEN ELLYN – Nora Ezike and her Lyons Township teammates had a strong mindset going into Tuesday’s showdown with unbeaten Glenbard West.

“We knew they were an undefeated team and they were really trying to beat us to stay undefeated,” Ezike said, “but we knew we were the better team and we just had to play with it and come out just as aggressive as they did.”

The visiting Lions did exactly that, and Ezike led the way. The 6-foot-2 junior erupted for a career-high 32 points and season-high 15 rebounds to power LT to a 63-51 victory in the battle of West Suburban Conference Silver Division co-leaders.

Ezike aggressively attacked the basket from the beginning. Her transition layup gave the Lions (8-3, 4-0) a 6-0 lead and forced Glenbard West to burn a timeout at the 6:38 mark of the first quarter.

Three minutes later, Ezike got a defensive rebound, went coast-to-coast, was fouled and made two free throws for a 10-2 cushion. It was just the first vestiges of a virtuoso performance by the Division I prospect.

“I feel like every game I get to know a little bit something new about Nora,” LT coach Meghan Hutchens said. “Tonight you saw her get it in the middle of the floor and just say, ‘Where is my thread? Where can I get through to the basket?’ I thought that was impressive.”

Ezike tallied 11 points in the first quarter, which ended with her scoring on a layup off a feed from sophomore Emma O’Brien to put the visitors up 17-9.

O’Brien, who finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two assists and also sank a 3-pointer to boost the lead to 22-13 early in the second quarter, but Sydney Nimsakont answered with a trey of her own to begin a gritty comeback by Glenbard West.

Glenbard West (10-1, 4-1) rallied behind the play of junior guard Julia Benjamin, who scored 11 of her team-high 20 points in the second half on a variety of baseline jumpers and a pair of 3-pointers.

The Hilltoppers took their first lead when Nimsakont scored off a feed from Ellie Noble with 1:54 left in the third quarter. It proved to be their only lead and lasted just 13 seconds.

Ezike responded with a driving layup to start a 6-0 run to close the period.

Mya Austin answered by scoring five straight points on a 3-pointer and a layup off a Benjamin assist to tie it at 39. Once again, Ezike had an emphatic answer. Senior center Kennedy Wanless drove into the paint, turned and kicked the ball back to Ezike outside the top of the key. Ezike buried the go-ahead 3-pointer at the 6:15 mark of the fourth quarter.

On the next possession, Ezike ripped down a defensive rebound, went the distance, was fouled and converted a traditional three-point play. Two possessions later, she fed Wanless for an inside hoop to make it 47-39 lead.

“I didn’t want them to start getting a lead and keep getting momentum,” Ezike said. “So just immediately getting back and getting the next point would help stop them.”

Makenzie Yeager momentarily blunted LT’s momentum with a layup, but Ezike responded with a putback, and the Hilltoppers never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.

“I think we did a good job staying composed,” said Ezike, who made 10 of 19 shots and was 10 of 13 from the free-throw line. “Sometimes we might have felt a little rushed, but we were able to keep our composure, and I think we did good outrebounding them, which helped us, too.”

Indeed, the Lions won the rebounding battle 36-28. Avery Mezan had nine points and six rebounds, while Wanless contributed seven points, six rebounds and three assists.

Austin finished with 12 points, five rebounds and two assists for Glenbard West, which also got nine points and nine rebounds from Yeager.

“Glenbard West plays tough,” Hutchens said. “They play hard, and they play physical, and so if you’re not prepared for that, they will sneak up on you.

“Those kids played really hard tonight, and they’re going to be someone that’s on my radar always because they’re well-coached and they play hard always.”