UPDATE: Who Gets the Biggest Roar from the Crowd This Week ...?

Sandburg junior wrestling standpout Mitch Cook gained the most support in "Roar of the Crowd" polling. He is now eligible for February Patch Athlete of the Month Recognition.

Your Patch is a place to celebrate local high school athletes. Show your support for these prep sports MVPs — each of whom is Athlete of the Week in his or her local Patch — by cheering them on in the comments thread, sharing your own photos with the Patch community and voting in the poll. Do you think we're missing someone? Tell us in the comments and share his or her photo to the gallery above. (It's easy. Just click the Upload Photos and Videos link — learn more here.) Read more about this week's MVPs in the photo gallery, and show your support for them by: There is one more way for you to become a more interactive fan: Sign up to become a Patch sports blogger. (Learn more about blogging on Patch here).

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3-2-1: McMahon Shot Helps L-W East Girls Basketball Team Blast Off

Meaghan McMahon's 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half provided a spark for Lincoln-Way East in its 54-41 sectional semifinal girls basketball victory over Homewood-Flossmoor.

Lincoln-Way East coach Jim Martin has a stopwatch-like name for the drill he likes to end girls basketball practice with on a regular basis. “It’s called a 3-2-1 drill,” he said. “I got it from (a coaching friend). It’s a fun way to end practice. You go, ‘Three, two, one and you throw it up from half-court or whatever, not so much with a girl on you throwing it that way.’ ” Not like Meaghan McMahon did to end the first half in Lincoln-Way East’s 54-41 victory over Homewood-Flossmoor in a Class 4A Sandburg Sectional semifinal matchup on Tuesday night? “No,” Martin said of whether the Griffins hit buzzer-beaters in practice sessions very often. “So, this was great.” McMahon, a 5-foot-11 junior forward who so often is overshadowed by her …

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Girls Basketball: L-W East Ousts Homewood-Flossmoor in Sectional Semifinal

Lincoln-Way East 54, Homewood-Flossmoor 41: Meaghan McMahon made a heroic shot, and Taylor Johnson turned in a heroic performance as the Griffins took the rubber match from their Southwest Suburban Blue rivals on Tuesday night.

The Skinny: Meaghan McMahon made a heroic shot to end the first half in Lincoln-Way East’s 54-41 girls basketball victory over Homewood-Flossmoor in semifinal action Tuesday night at the Sandburg Sectional in Orland Park. Taylor Johnson took over the game in the second half. McMahon, a 5-foot-11 junior forward, banked home a 3-pointer from just across half-court line as the buzzer sounded to end the first half. Johnson, a senior guard who is headed to Loyola, recovered from foul trouble and scored 13 of her game-high 19 points in the second half. The two teams split during the regular season, each winning on its home floor, and East used a 2-3 zone defense to control the rubber match. H-F played without Charnelle Reed, the Western Illinois…

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Ron Kremer

9:03 am on Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Agreed. Taylor Johnson must avoid foul trouble. She did play through it vs. H-F, though. And she played with the composure of a leader, too.   more ›

Marist Remains No. 1 in Girls Basketball Heading into Regional Finals

Top-ranked Marist had no trouble in the opening round of postseason play. Lincoln-Way East, Homewood-Flossmoor, Marian Catholic and Lincoln-Way North also advanced to regional finals.

1. Marist (29-1): Nothing to it. Marist opened postseason play with a name-that-score kind of victory, rolling past Thornton 80-27. Next up: The RedHawks will face Thornton Fractional North at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Class 4A Marist Regional final. 2. Lincoln-Way East (24-4): Caitlin McMahon (21 points, 7 rebounds) and Taylor Johnson (16 points, 7 steals) powered the Griffins to a 70-24 regional semifinal victory over Crete-Monee. Next up: Lincoln-Way East faces district rival Lincoln-Way North in the Class 4A Lincoln-Way Central regional final at 7:30 tonight. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (21-7): Charnelle Reed’s knee injury raises questions of whether the Vikings will get out of the Class 4A Stagg Regional. H-F defeated Thornton Fractional …

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Pedal to the Metal Philosophy Serves No. 1-Rated Marist Girls Basketball

Marist pushes the pace, racks up wins. Lincoln-Way East and Homewood-Flossmoor remain hot on the RedHawks' heels as postseason play draws nearer.

1. Marist (26-1): That fine line between fast and too fast? The RedHawks are close to solving it. They’ve been wreaking havoc with their fastbreak attack. JeTaun Rouse (17 points, 6 steals, 3 assists) and Leah Bolton (16 points, 5 rebounds) were on top of their game in a 54-41 victory over Maine South in the Sweet 16 Tournament. 2. Lincoln-Way East (21-3): Better late than never? Caitlin McMahon came alive in the second half of the Griffins’ 51-42 victory over Sandburg. She scored 18 of her game-high 20 points in the final two quarters. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (17-7): Charnelle Reed scored 11 points in the Vikings’ 60-35 loss to Bolingbrook. Lauren Parker added 10 points and three steals. The two will look to get H-F back on track vs. …

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Girls Basketball: Homewood-Flossmoor Settles Score with L-W East

Amena Brent scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Homewood-Flossmoor's 50-45 girls basketball victory over Lincoln-Way East on Thursday night in Flossmoor.

No. 1 for a Reason: Marist Girls Basketball Puts Power of Resiliency on Display

Marist showed why it remains No. 1 in the weekly Patch Power Rankings for girls basketball, bouncing back from its first loss by notching a 70-22 victory over Nazareth Academy. Lincoln-Way East and Homewood-Flossmoor are picking up the pieces, too.

1. Marist (20-1): JeTaun Rouse scored 18 points, but it was not enough to prevent Marist from falling to Trinity (57-51) in the McDonald’s Shootout. The RedHawks showed their powers of resiliency in a bounce-back victory over Nazareth Academy (70-22) on Wednesday. 2. Lincoln-Way East (14-2): Taylor Johnson and Caitlin McMahon enjoyed some big individual moments in a grueling stretch that saw the Griffins drop games to Geneva and Bolingbrook. Sandwiched in between was a quality win for East over New Trier. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (14-6): Danielle Woolfork put a fork in Joliet Central. She exploded for 20 points in the Vikings’ 71-29 victory. Western Illinois recruit Charnelle Reed added 14 points. Tosin Mobodu chipped in 12 points and 10 …

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The Sports Report

Wide Gap in Girls Basketball Talent Results in Charges of Running Up the Score

Don't point the finger at L-W East or coach Jim Martin. Inflated scores in high school girls basketball often are the result of a huge talent drop-off that puts the "haves" on a level way above the "have-nots."

Running up the score is a dirty subject no one in sports wants to talk much about, particularly not when it involves high school sports and accusations of poor sportsmanship on the part of coaches and/or players. The subject reared its ugly head on Patch message boards following Lincoln-Way East’s 45-9 girls basketball victory over district rival Lincoln-Way Central on Tuesday. “Shame on you,” is how one commenter chose to berate East’s coach. I say cheap shot. I’m sure there are occasions when coaches and/or players attempt to run up the score on opponents. It’s human nature to hold a grudge, cite payback as the motive for poor behavior. So, does it happen? You bet. Do I think Lincoln-Way East was guilty of running it up on Lincoln-Way …

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Ron Kremer

8:17 am on Sunday, January 15, 2012

Barry: Thanks for the comments. You make some good points, particularly the one about taking a group and playing with honor in the face of tall odds.   more ›

Marist Retains Grip on No. 1 Spot in Girls Basketball Power Rankings

Marist rallied to top Mother McAuley 58-53 on its home floor Tuesday and retained its No. 1 position in the Patch Power Rankings for girls basketball. Lincoln-Way East, Homewood-Flossmoor, Rich Central and Andrew are waiting in the wings for an opportunit

1. Marist (18-0): Asianna Bey and Claire Ryan came up big in the second half of the RedHawks’ thrilling 58-53 come-from-behind victory over rival Mother McAuley. Marist plays host to St. Viator at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. 2. Lincoln-Way East (13-0): Taylor Johnson scored 14 points and the Griffins’ defense was too tough for district rival Lincoln-Way Central in East’s 45-9 victory in New Lenox. Next for the Griffins is tonight’s game at Lockport. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (12-6): Charnelle Reed made six 3-pointers and scored 25 points in a 90-61 loss to Bolingbrook. The Vikings will look to rebound vs. Lincoln-Way Central tonight. 4. Rich Central (16-4): Double digits in scoring and rebounding. Chaz Duson and Jessica Warren continue to pose double-…

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UPDATE: And the Winner in Patch Athlete of the Week Voting is ...

Marian Catholic junior forward Megan Walsh put up big numbers for the Spartans in the Chi-Town Showdown. And she put up big numbers in Patch Athlete of the Week voting, too.

Megan Walsh outpolled five others in voting for Patch Athlete of the Week, Dec. 4-10. Walsh is now eligible for December Patch Athlete of the Month recognition. The candidates were: Jubril Adekoya, junior, forward, boys basketball, Andrew. Adekoya scored 20 points and hauled down 13 rebounds in the T-Bolts’ 81-51 victory over Stagg. Brooke Annerino, sophomore, guard, girls basketball, Oak Lawn. Annerino was pretty in pink in the Spartans’ 67-59 victory over Oak Forest on Pink Out Night. She scored 20 points and helped promote Oak Lawn’s breast cancer awareness fundraising efforts. Colin Holler, junior, wrestling, Sandburg. Holler won the 152-pound championship in the Wildcat Invitational at Wheeling. He scored a fall and two major …

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