Latham, H-F hit all cylinders on opening night
Junior forward happy to play again for Vikings
Homewood-Flossmoor junior Alyssa Latham had every reason to be pleased with her numbers Monday in both scoring and rebounding.
But the deepest satisfaction she took out of opening night against Crete-Monee was knowing junior teammate Ana-Liese Torian also had a big game.
It told Latham she did a nice job of getting her the ball — as well as scoring it — during a 68-23 victory.
“Our chemistry is pretty good on and off the court,” Latham said. “That’s kind of how it is. We go over stuff in practice.
“We’re definitely doing a lot better than last season. I wasn’t that well at finding the open person. But I’m doing a lot better, and Ana-Liese is doing well.”
Latham scored 24 points and added 12 rebounds for H-F (1-0). Torian had 11 points and eight rebounds, while Skye Echols scored 11 points and Rachyl Robinson contributed eight.
Jayda Bowen led Crete-Monee (0-1) with nine points. Kameron Jones added six.
Latham, a 6-foot-2 forward, has been impressive since stepping onto the court for the Vikings as a freshman. In a spring season shortened due to the pandemic, she averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
But she wasn’t satisfied.
“It kind of stunk that it ended so suddenly,” Latham said. “I loved playing for coach (Tony Smith). I loved my teammates. It’s exciting to be back out here and have a real season.
“I’m ready to get at it.” Latham looked more than ready against Crete-Monee.
After missing two shots and two free throws in the first few minutes, she locked in under the basket. She scored seven points in the first quarter, adding six more in the second as the Vikings ran away to a 39-9 halftime lead.
The point total was impressive, but the power she showed going up to the rim was an eye-opener. No one for the Warriors could stop her, at least not without fouling.
“Alyssa is a big girl now,” Smith said, smiling. “She’s not a baby anymore. Last spring, she was still a baby a little bit. But this is her show now. I think the girls are letting her know it by looking up to her.
“She has kind of taken on that mama role for the team. She knows if she doesn’t get it done, I’ll be coming for her. She’s taking the ownership.”
Torian, a 6-foot forward, averaged 10 points and six rebounds as a sophomore. But her biggest achievement for H-F in the spring was winning a state championship in the hurdles.
“Ana-Liese is a track star that’s going to be a big part of what we do here,” Smith said. “She’s a player. She’s an athlete. She’s not just a track star, but she’s a basketball player who can score.
“She’s an unselfish kid. We’re trying to get her to lock in. She’s a kid who can do a lot for us.”
H-F started the season with just eight players on the varsity — quite likely the smallest roster in the Southland.
“I think it’s great,” Smith said. “These are the eight who wanted to come in and work. These are the ones who wanted to lift weights and wanted to condition — wanted to practice six days a week and wanted to be a part of it.
“We would have loved to have 15 kids that wanted to do it. But we’re going to take the mindset now we’re only taking kids who work. If you want to be with us, you have to earn it. These eight earned it. I don’t need nine. I need these eight, and we’re going to have fun with it.”