Marist’s Lucy Cosme can attest to how tough it can be when a big group of her family gets together and plays basketball during the summer.
It doesn’t matter the age or gender, it’s all hands on deck as both cousins and siblings get after it. That includes Lucy, a senior forward, and Lewis guard Cale Cosme, a former Brother Rice star.
“We’ll play 3-on-3 pickup games,” Lucy said, describing the rough-and-tumble dynamic. “If there’s a basketball, we will always play. It can get rough, but it’s so fun.”
Things got a little rough Monday night in Chicago for Cosme as she had to compete against a pair of Division I-caliber 6-footers from Benet.
The 5-9 Cosme still finished with seven points, 11 rebounds and a blocked shot for the host RedHawks in a 47-37 East Suburban Catholic Conference loss.
Olivia Cosme, Lucy’s cousin, added 12 points for Marist (15-4, 1-2). She also made a half-court, buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to put the RedHawks ahead 29-25.
“I made three of those shots last year,” Olivia said. “Whenever I get the opportunity, I take it. I don’t even practice that shot. I just throw it up there and hope for the best.”
Benet’s two 6-footers impacted the game greatly.
Furman commit Emma Briggs led Benet (14-1, 3-0) with 16 points, 15 rebounds and two steals, while Richmond recruit Bridget Rifenburg added 15 points, including 11 in the second half.
Undersized Marist faced an obvious hurdle inside, but defense, outside shooting and free throws helped the RedHawks take a 21-14 halftime lead.
Marist and Benet battled in the Dec. 27 championship game of the Montini Tournament, a 59-38 win for the Redwings, who broke the game open in the second half. The two teams have another ESCC game scheduled for Jan. 21 in Lisle, so they will be very familiar with each other.
“We played them a lot better than we did the first time,” Lucy Cosme said. “Benet is obviously one of the best teams in the state.
“I think we competed with them really well, and the next time we play them, we can win.”
Marist did lead for most of the second half until Ava Thomas sank a 3-point basket with 4:52 left in the fourth quarter to put Benet ahead 32-31. The Redwings dominated the rest of the way.
Cosme’s play on the boards, however, did not go unnoticed by the RedHawks.
“Lucy’s great,” Marist coach Renee Cimino said. “She did everything that we asked. She executed our game plan defensively.
“She’s 5-9 and had to guard all of those big girls, so she did everything we could ask from her.”
Olivia Cosme, a North Central College recruit, admired her cousin’s play.
“Oh, yes, she did great in rebounding,” Olivia said of Lucy. “To do that against Emma Briggs, who is an amazing, phenomenal player, is great.”
The Cosme cousins are the lone seniors for Marist, which has 10 juniors on the roster. Lucy confirmed that they enjoy being the leaders of a talented team.
Last season, there were three Cosmes for opponents to fret about as Lucy’s sister, Rose, also played basketball. But Rose is foregoing the sport this winter to concentrate on her track career.
For Lucy, this also is her final season playing basketball. She has decided to give up athletics and focus on earning marketing and finance degrees in college. Her first choice is Miami of Ohio.
Lucy, though, admitted that she will miss playing basketball.
“I love the competition,” she said. “I loved playing in this game because it went back and forth and you have to give it your all. And I love my teammates.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.