A midseason slump forced Lincoln-Way East’s Maddie Kelly from the starting lineup to coming off the bench.
If the junior forward keeps playing like she did in a reserve role Thursday night, that slump might be coming to an end.
“When I’m on the bench, I get hyped to get ready to help my team,” Kelly said.
A hyped-up Kelly scored eight points and added five rebounds and a blocked shot to help the Griffins knock off Lockport for a 47-41 SouthWest Suburban Conference victory in Frankfort.
Kaitlyn Dykstra and Kennedy Johnson each scored 14 points to lead the Griffins (14-10, 4-5). A red-hot Dykstra dominated from the outside with four 3-pointers and Kennedy added inside muscle with five rebounds. Emerson Nilsson also had five rebounds.
The 5-foot-10 Kelly scored four of Lincoln-Way East’s seven points in the third to keep the Griffins afloat as Lockport shaved a 31-15 deficit early in the quarter down to 36-28 heading into the fourth.
“Maddie really came to play,” said retiring Lincoln-Way East coach Jim Nair, who recently picked up his 300th career win on Jan. 13 against Sandburg. “She really is a guard, and we’re kind of pushing her inside because we need some inside scoring. She really did a great job with that.”
Evelyn Ingram led Lockport (18-8, 9-3) with 11 points, while Molly Curtis hit three 3-pointers off the bench in the second half for nine points. Katie Peetz had 10 rebounds and seven steals.
The defending conference champion Porters are two games behind Homewood-Flossmoor in the loss column. They also were without coach Darien Jacobs, who missed the game due to National Guard duties. Assistant Anita Robinson stepped in.
Kelly, meanwhile, likes the direction Lincoln-Way East is heading. The Griffins had already lost twice to Lockport, with a 33-30 setback on Dec. 11 in the first conference meeting and 44-26 on Dec. 20 at the Oak Lawn Tournament.
Thursday’s turnaround was huge in more ways than one.
“Honestly, in this game, our rebounds were big,” Kelly said. “The midseason is the hardest, but we’re playing well because everybody is so close and there is so much chemistry on this team.
“We have stuck it out.”
Johnson, a senior forward who will forgo basketball in college, agreed that this win was big but all wins are big at this point of the season. She loves it when she can be on the court with Kelly.
“Maddie is a really good player, and sometimes when I can’t get the rebound, I know she has my back and she will get it for me,” Johnson said. “She’s a really good scorer in the paint.
“She works hard on her footwork and you can see it in the games. She’s a fun player to watch.”
Nair enjoys having both players on the court to give Lincoln-Way East a little extra power inside. He mixes in sophomore forward Samantha Hellrung for a boost both inside and outside.
“We have some very versatile players on the team,” Nair said.
Kelly got her start in basketball thanks in part to her mother, Jill, nee Fagan, a former player at Mother McAuley. Fagan was on the Mighty Macs’ team that finished second in the state in Class AA in 1995.
“She has coached me forever,” Kelly said of her mom. “She was pretty good. She was a post, too.
“She taught me all of my moves. She taught me everything.”
Kelly also played softball and volleyball but concentrated on basketball when she hit high school.
“It’s all basketball,” she said. “I’m better at basketball, that’s for sure.
“I just love it. I love the team, the girls and the energy. It’s my favorite.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.