Tricia Liston did more than score 41 points to lead the Fenwick girls basketball team to a 77-33 thrashing of Glenbard West to win the Oak Park Regional Championship on Friday night. The Duke-bound senior also etched her name into Fenwick’s record books as the school’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing the likes of former Fenwick stars Katie O’Grady and current NBA player Corey Maggette.
Liston’s 12th point of the game on Friday night sent her over the previous record of 2,536 (held by O’Grady) and drew a standing ovation from the crowd. She was at 2,566 points as the Friars geared up to face Proviso East in the first round of the Lake Park Sectional on Tuesday (after deadline).
The Pirates were coming off a 42-37 win over Hoffman Estates in the Rolling Meadows Regional. Ivory Crawford led the Pirates in that win with 25 points. The junior guard scored 29 to help her team knock-off OPRF in the first round.
But it’s going to take a lot to keep Liston at bay throughout the playoffs. On Feb. 17 in the regional semifinal, the four-year varsity starter scored 25 points and hauled down 10 rebounds to lead the Friars to a 69-40 thrashing of Conant. Sarah Williams added eight points in the victory.
Both Kathleen Roche (shoulder, ankle) and Meredith Boardman (hip) were back in the lineup after suffering injuries in the team’s final regular season game against Hinsdale Central. Roche scored six points against Conant, while Boardman added five points and five rebounds.
“We played well in the third quarter, but came out very sluggish to start the game,” said Fenwick head coach Dave Power after the semifinal game.
Fenwick’s Danielle McGruder had to leave the game in the second half with a finger injury. She returned to the lineup for Friday night’s regional title game.
If all goes well for the Friars, they could face No. 2 seed Elk Grove Village in the sectional title game on Thursday night. A victory over the Grenadiers would likely pit Fenwick against eighth-ranked New Trier in the Loyola University Super-Sectional on March 1.
