AJ Lux leads Crown Point past Munster from long range
Senior forward provides inside presence as Blakely scores 32 in win against Lake Station
Bishop Noll senior Isabelli Damacio’s demeanor off the court stands in stark contrast to hers on it.
The 6-foot-1 forward was able to flip that switch Friday night in a Greater South Shore Conference game against visiting Lake Station.
Damacio had nine points and five rebounds to help the Warriors post a 60-48 win against the Eagles.
“I’m definitely pushing myself a lot harder than usual to be more aggressive because I am really reserved. … I’m really shy and timid,” Damacio said. “But I’m trying to break that shell this year and be more outgoing and gain more confidence.
“It is really challenging because I like to be nice. I’m not mean to other people. So breaking that is a goal I try to do in basketball.”
Bishop Noll coach Vanita Golston has witnessed that process unfold.
“We’ve been riding her pretty hard the last two weeks just about what the expectation is for her from the coaches and from her team,” Golston said. “Us seeing what she’s capable of when she’s foot-on-the-gas the whole time, she got to see that (Friday).
“The level of confidence has continued to increase. Her personality is reserved. So to see the fire and the fight on the floor, that’s something to be really proud of.”
Senior guard Courtney Blakely scored 32 points for Noll (5-2, 1-0) against Lake Station (6-2, 1-1). Damacio added an interior dimension, scoring all nine of her points in the second half, including six in the fourth quarter.
“It makes us a completely different team,” Golston said. “You have to defend a different area. It opens up the perimeter. It opens up the lane. The key’s
going to be consistency.”
Freshman guard Kennedy Blakely had 11 assists for the Warriors, who were without Rose Fuentes. The senior guard injured her right ankle just after
halftime in Tuesday’s win at Highland.
“We had so many role players who stepped up and filled that need,” Golston said. “That’s something to really be excited about.”
Senior forward Laila Rogers, who played two seasons at Noll before one at Homewood-Flossmoor in Illinois, had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Lake Station. Freshman guard Kayla Wilkerson added 10 points.
“We were ice cold from the outside. … It was a learning experience,” Lake Station coach Rudy Chabes said. “They played great. They met the challenge, and we kind of backed off a little.”
Noll used a 13-0 run, including seven st raight points f rom Courtney Blakely and four more from Brianna Gonzalez, to build a 29-15 lead with 3:13 left in the second quarter. Lake Station drew as close as six points multiple times in the third quarter.
“Blakely was a one- man wrecking crew,” Chabes said. “It’s hard to contain her. She’s a great player. She’s underrated in Indiana. … I give her much respect.”
Lake Station went undefeated
in the conference last season, including defeating Noll 67-50. That win ended a 13-game losing streak in the series for the Eagles, i ncluding four sectional games, dating to the 2009-10 season.
But the Warriors won 93-68 last season in the sectional.
“We’re maintaining that every regular-season game is just preparation for when it really counts,” Golston said.
Sti l l , Damacio was happy to have taken a key step toward regaining the conference title.
“It really excites me,” she said. “Me personally, I like to try to work hard and just build on everything I’ve been learning in the past. Especially with COVID going on, I really want to push hard senior year and finish strong.”