Ramblers Locke in to claim third straight sectional title

Squaring off with a familiar foe, Loyola Academy benefitted from the two-way play of junior Maddie Locke and took a step closer to a third straight state-finals appearance on Thursday night, Feb. 27.

Behind Locke’s 20 points and 4 blocks, the Ramblers defeated the Maine South Hawks, 48-32, in a battle of the IHSA Class 4A Maine South Sectional’s top two seeds.

Loyola absorbed an early blow from Maine South before, down 8-5, going on a 17-0 run to snag control of the affair and carry it throughout the contest.

The win was the Ramblers (33-2) 23rd in a row, as well as the their third consecutive sectional championship. Loyola moves on to a supersectional matchup with the Bartlett Sectional’s No. 3 seed St. Charles East at 7 p.m. Monday, March 2, at Hoffman Estates High School.

The early Hawks’ rush on Thursday was not a surprise to Ramblers coach Jeremy Schoenecker and company. They’ve been here before.

“I just trusted them,” Schoenecker said of his players. “This time of year, if you can limit their runs and hold them like we did, we’re in good shape.”

Schoenecker added that his team missed some close-range shots early, leading him to think the points would come.

And they did.

Locke’s eight first-quarter points aided the 17-0 surge early, but she stayed at it all game.

The junior finished with a game-high 20 points, 14 of which came from in the paint.

“I saw a lot of (on-ball) pressure,” Locke said, “so I figured I could drive and I could take it or I could kick it out to my teammates they would hit their shots. It was a pretty good game plan.”

The always-ready Loyola defense again stepped up to a formidable challenge.

The Hawks three-point-happy offense managed six three-point field goals on the night and even fewer (five) two-pointers.

Loyola’s defenders regularly contested Maine South’s shooters, often chasing them off the three-point line and even blocking multiple perimeter attempts.

Schoenecker credited preparation. He said while studying film, the Ramblers took special notice of the Hawks’ three-point volume.

“We just wanted to make sure (their runs) weren’t 9-0, 12-0 runs, because they shoot so many threes,” Schoenecker said. “Defensively tonight we did a really nice job of contesting shots, blocking a lot of shots, and the girls were locked in.”

Maine South’s Hayden Fahy did what she could to keep things interesting. Her 10 third-quarter points kept the Hawks’ hopes alive. They were down just eight points, 40-32, midway through the fourth quarter.

But Loyola senior Marycait Mackie (8 points, 7 rebounds) quickly pushed her team’s lead back to 10 points, and the Ramblers defense did not allow another Hawks point.

With her 20 points, Locke added 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. Senior Clare Weasler recorded 10 points, including two second-half threes, and 7 rebounds, and junior Emily Naraky did a bit of everything with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals and several assists.

“We knew this team and knew what we had to do,” Locke said. “We always talk about defense and it starts on the defensive end of he floor. Once we knew we could take care of that, our offense would just flow.”

The Ramblers are aiming to advance to the state’s final four for the third straight season. That accomplishment that would be a first for the program; though, the Ramblers did make it to the state finals three straight times (1997-’99) when eight teams advanced.

Loyola won the Class 4A title in 2024 and placed fourth a year ago.

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