Rochon rocks on for Lincoln-Way Central
Defensive dandy hits four 3-pointers in championship game tribute before attending grandfather’s wake
Basketball was always one of the ties that bound Lincoln-Way Central senior Caitlyn Rochon to her grandfather, John.
“My grandpa always liked basketball,” Rochon said. “He was really into it. When I was younger, he would always come to my games. My senior year he has been sick, but it has always been a topic of conversation with us.”
Rochon had to leave immediately Wednesday following the championship game of the Sandburg Holiday Tournament to attend her grandfather’s wake.
What she did during the game was quite a tribute.
Rochon had a career afternoon in leading Lincoln-Way Central past the host Eagles 54-49.
The 5-foot-7 guard hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. On defense, she shut down one of Sandburg’s top scorers.
The win avenged a 42-37 loss to Sandburg on Dec. 16.
“Obviously, I was playing for my grandpa,” Rochon said. “But the whole team, we were all super excited to be playing Sandburg again. It was a special game to play.
“For my part, I was just open and my teammates did a great job getting me the ball. It was nice.”
Rochon was the brightest star among many for Lincoln-Way Central (10-4).
Tournament MVP Keira Hunt, who hit three 3-pointers, finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Azyah Newson-Cole added 10 points, while Angelina Panos had eight points and 10 rebounds.
Sandburg (13-3) pushed it to the limit, with senior guard Charlotte Trunk lighting up for 23 points. Erin O’Connor notched eight points and seven rebounds.
Junior guard Josie Canellis entered the game coming off a phenomenal 21-point effort in the semifinals against Glenbard West. She scored Sandburg’s first two points against the Knights, but after that was shut down by Rochon.
“My goal was not to let her get open by herself,” Rochon said. “We were face-guarding her the whole time and trying to not let her shoot the ball whenever she touched it.”
It was a stalwart defensive effort, for sure.
“Both offense and defense are equally important,” Rochon said. “But I actually like playing defense better than offense sometimes.”
Lincoln-Way Central coach Dave Campanile appreciates Rochon’s love of doing the dirty work.
“We don’t ask her to score,” Campanile said. “She does a great job of embracing her role of, ‘Hey, I defend. I handle the ball and get us into offense. I don’t turn the ball over and I make good shot selections.’
“For her to come in and hit four 3-pointers, that is by far her high total of the season. That she was able to step up under the circumstances was amazing.”
Pain then gain: As a sophomore, Ryann Houbolt had quite a dilemma before her shortened spring season at St. Laurence. She could have surgery for a torn labrum in her right hip or play through the pain.
Tough decision. Tough kid.
“I didn’t want to miss a season,” Houbolt said. “I wanted to get through it because we missed so much during COVID and I didn’t want to miss more. So, we went to the doctor and planned it out.
“It was hard, but I did what I had to do.”
The valuable minutes were followed in May by successful surgery. Houbolt returned to the court in the fall just in time for tryouts.
She celebrated Thursday, receiving all-tournament honors after helping lead the Vikings (11-3) to the title of the Chicago Christian Christmas Tournament.
The 5-foot-6 guard scored in double figures in three of the four games. She scored 12 points in a 54-28 win over the host Knights in the championship game.
It was a big leap from averaging seven points going in.
“I feel so much better,” Houbolt said. “There is pretty much no pain anymore, and I can feel I’m playing a little bit better than I did.”
Senior teammate Rylie Galvin appreciates the points now. She admired the effort in the spring.
“She was strong the whole time,” Galvin said. “We knew it was bothering her, but she always pushed through the pain. You would never know it on the court. I give her props for doing it.”
Flip the switch: Canellis missed her first four shots for Sandburg during Tuesday’s semifinal game against Glenbard West.
What happened after that was astonishing.
Canellis hit her next seven shots. She later added her fifth 3-pointer to finish with 21 points for the Eagles in a 66-31 victory.
“Even when I was warming up, something just felt really off,” Canellis said. “But then I was like, ‘I just need to make one. Once I make one, it’s going to click and I’ll feel better.’ That seemed to be the case as the game went on.”