Ramblers thankful that their defense came around against pesky Trevians

Loyola Academy girls basketball’s defense is always there, even when it’s not.

Senior Clare Weasler and her fellow Ramblers were not crisp on the defensive end of the floor early on against New Trier on Wednesday, but Weasler knew it was just a matter of time.

“We just knew our defense was going to kick in,” she said. “We were a little spastic at first, but we just came together and had each other’s backs. It started on the defensive end and translated to offense.”

The Trevians hung with the potent Ramblers in the first half, tying things up at 12-12 in the second quarter and trailing by just seven points, 27-20, at the break.

But Loyola put it all together during a 12-2 third quarter, and finished with a 59-32 victory in Winnetka to cap a 5-0 run and win the New Trier-Loyola Thanksgiving Tournament.

The Ramblers tenacious and often-full-court defense is their hallmark, as they regularly pressure teams into turnovers and tough shots. And even with several new players in the rotation this year, it’s more of the same. Loyola has not allowed 35 points in a game during their 5-0 start.

“The standard and set, the culture is here and everyone has to live up to that standard,” Ramblers coach Jeremy Schoenecker said of the defense. “And we keep preaching that each and every day in practice.”

Even through its sloppy moments, like Wednesday’s first two quarters, Loyola’s defense is tough. The Ramblers turned the Trevians over 14 times in the first half.

But New Trier persevered and made some big shots. Juniors Vic Wainscott and Emerson Buck and freshman Bevin Gemp drained a three-pointer apiece in the second quarter to keep the Trevs in it.

First-year New Trier coach Stephanie Kuzmanic praised how her team broke Loyola’s press early to set up open offensive looks. The Trevs offense struggled once the Ramblers settled in.

“When they forced us to execute in the half court, we struggled a little bit,” she said. “We are a new team, a young team, with only three kids returning who got varsity minutes last year. We’re finding our way, but I’m confident we’ll be able to do that.”

Weasler (8 points) and junior Emily Naraky (8 points, 10 rebounds) led Loyola’s third-quarter surge, and in the fourth quarter, Loyola reserve Allison Banaszek helped put the game away with her own 7-point burst.

The Ramblers also got two big second-quarter threes from Michaela Burm. Junior Maddie Locke pitched in 6 points, while fellow starters Marycait Mackie and Kaitlyn McGovern added 5 apiece.

Gemp led New Trier with 12 points off the bench. Emerson Buck had 8 and Grace Bowie (7 rebounds) and Vic Wainscott (6 rebounds) 3 apiece.

Buck made the All-Tournament team for New Trier, while Weasler, Mackie and Naraky made it for tourney-champ Loyola.

Lookahead

Loyola guards and defensive menaces Weasler and Mackie are four-year varsity talents, each of them playing prominent roles during Loyola’s consecutive state-finals runs. They won a Class 4A championship in 2024.

They step into larger playmaking roles with the graduation of star point guard Aubrey Galvan (Vanderbilt).

“They can play the 1,” Schoenecker said, “but in four years with us, didn’t have to. Now the ball is in their hands a lot more and they are making decisions. As the year goes on, they’re going to get better and better.”

Much of the scoring will come from Naraky, who can play in and out of the post, and Maddie Locke, who can also work in the post and step out to take defenders off the dribble, Schoenecker said.

McGovern, a sharpshooter, rounds out the starting five, while Banaszek, Burm, Liesel Klein, Jessie Kafka and others are in line for reserve minutes.

Three-year starter Emerson Buck is a leader for New Trier and with classmate Wainscott, will provide a lot of offense.

Senior point guard Avery Schecter has primary ball-handling duties, and Bowie, Sophie Romick and Gemp get the bulk of the minutes as Kuzmanic searches for the right rotations.

Kuzmanic said her team can really shoot, and it’s about rounding out the offense to make sure they can get open shots. She also pointed out Bowie’s big leap into her senior year and called Gemp fearless as a freshman.

While the Trevians are 2-3, Kuzmanic is proud of how her team’s competed against tough early competition, especially because it won’t get much easier.

“This tournament was really tough,” she said. “It’s loaded with great teams. I think of it like we’re using this tournament to get ready for a very loaded conference.

“I feel good about where we’re at. We have some good wins and good runs against good teams. We’re playing great team defense. The challenge is going to be finding ways to put points on the board.”

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