Fenwick senior forward Tricia Liston will soon return to Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena in Bloomington-Normal to try to do what she helped do her freshman year for the Friars – win a state championship.
Liston and the Friars (31-3) downed Niles West 54-40 on Monday night to win the Loyola University Supersectional and advance to the Class 4A State Finals for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
The Duke-bound Liston scored 26 points to lead the Friars, who will take on Whitney Young in the semifinal on Friday (8:15 p.m.). The Dolphins are 27-2 overall and coming off a 74-57 victory over Marian Catholic in the St. Xavier Supersectional.
Fenwick’s Kathleen Roche added nine points, while Kyra Navarrete chipped in eight in the Friars’ supersectional victory.
In the Lake Park Sectional Championship, Fenwick was able to slip past Bartlett 70-57 despite Liston being in foul trouble. Liston picked up her fourth foul near the end of the third quarter, but led a 17-6 Fenwick run in the fourth to finish with 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Navarrete added a career-high 16 points to go along with her nine rebounds and Meredith Boardman hauled down 11 rebounds for the Friars, who also received additional scoring production from Sarah Williams (12 points) and Roche (11 points).
On Feb. 23, the Friars edged the Proviso East 61-44 behind Liston’s double-double of 36 points and 11 rebounds. She made 19-of-20 free throws in the game, including 10 straight in the first half.
The Class 4A State Championship will be played Saturday night (8:15 p.m.). If the Friars get past Young, they’ll take on either defending state champ Bolingbrook (27-1) or Hersey (27-7) in the title game. It was Bolingbrook that Fenwick downed 35-27 to win the state title in 2006, Liston’s freshman year.
