EAGLE EYED ERIN
O’Connor shows heart for emerging Sandburg during win over Lockport, loss to H-F
To hit the game-winning shot, one has to be willing to take it.
Sandburg junior Erin O’Connor isn’t lacking that trait in her personality package.
“I like getting the ball when teams are pressing us and it’s coming down to the final minute and it’s a close game,” O’Connor said. “I want the ball because I know I’ll be able to find my bearings around the court.”
It also helps to have a boatload of confidence — even when appearances are deceiving.
One case in point was Sandburg’s game Tuesday against Lockport.
The two teams were locked in a back-and-forth battle throughout. With less than a minute remaining, it was tied 36-36.
O’Connor had the ball and she was determined to do something special with it.
“Yep, I knew that I needed to kind of create, somehow,” O’Connor said. “I saw that I had a mismatch on my girl. She was a lot taller than I was.”
How confident was O’Connor? She felt that the mismatch was in her own favor.
“I knew that I could beat her into the lane,” O’Connor said. “I just needed to keep my composure and my self-control so I wasn’t all over the place going up.”
O’Connor hit the runner while being fouled. She completed the 3-point play as the Eagles broke the tie. They eventually won 39-38.
Sandburg coach Nick Fotopou
los was far from surprised that O’Connor, a 5-foot-8 guard, took on the other team’s big and turned it to her advantage.
“Yes, she’s such a competitor,” Fotopoulos said, laughing. “I mean, she’s one of those girls who will not back down. She will never take ‘no’ for an answer from anybody. And when things aren’t going her way, she’ll stick with it.
“She wasn’t doing a ton offensively in that game, but she hit that huge shot for us down the stretch. That’s something that just continues to get better with her.”
In Thursday’s 40-31 loss to Homewood-Flossmoor, O’Connor did much of the dirty work, pulling down nine rebounds and making five steals. She also delivered the ball during a competitive first half, finding teammate Josie Canellis for a pair of 3-pointers as the Eagles led 17-14.
O’Connor is averaging eight points, eight rebounds, five assists and six steals. Her doing a fair share of everything is helping the very young Eagles (7-5, 3-2) stay competitive.
“I feel like my role more this year is getting people
open, driving to the lane, dishing it off,” O’Connor said. “And on defense I try to get as many steals as I can.”
She has nearly doubled her assist average from last season.
“Well, these girls have been playing together for a while, since they were kids,” Fotopoulos said. “I think it’s just a chemistry thing. Erin knows exactly where Charlotte Trunk is going go be or where Josie Canellis is going to be on a drive and kick.
“Her game has just continued to evolve and round out. She has been working hard to do a lot of really good things. She is our heart and soul.”
With another year to give.
“I’m looking at this season as a practice season, or let’s say, a preseason to get ready for next season,” O’Connor said. “Since we have such a young team, I feel like the more that we jell and the more that we play together against these higher level teams will make us that much better.
“We have a lot of quick people. We don’t have a lot of height, so the quickness really helps us getting the ball down the court. We’ll just need to work on that a little bit more.”
They have the perfect one to lead the way.