Loyola contained by Nazareth in 4A final

Loyola Academy isn’t new to the big stage, but neither is Nazareth.

And since something had to give on Saturday when the state powerhouses clashed in the IHSA Class 4A championship, the Roadrunners stepped into the spotlight.

Nazareth topped Loyola 55-23 in a dominant performance that denied the Ramblers their second state title in three years and also got revenge on the Ramblers, who outshined the Roadrunners on the same stage two years ago.

“It snowballed, and all the sudden we were down 20,” Ramblers coach Jeremy Schoenecker said. “We tried to get it into the post area and try to be effective from there and make good reads, which we were but we couldn’t hit a shot. It was a bad moment not to have a good shooting night.”

Playing against Nazareth’s aggressive zone, Loyola could not convert its open looks to make the Roadrunners pay. The Ramblers shot just 23% (8 of 35) from the floor, including 1 of 16 from the three-point arc.

Loyola only trailed 15-11 after the first quarter, but only scored six points in the second and third quartesr combined.

Emily Naraky, a junior, led Loyola with 13 points and 8 rebounds, while Maddie Locke, another junior, chipped in 7 and 6.

The Roadrunners got 17 points from Sophia Towne, who drained four three-pointers, and another 11 points from freshman Mia Gage.

Going into the state-title bout, neither the Ramblers nor the Roadrunners had lost a game in 2026, each riding 20-plus-game winning streaks.

The powerhouse matchup was a rematch of the 2024 4A championship, won 44-40 by an unbeaten Loyola Academy. Nazareth won the Class 3A crown in 2023 and was 3A runnerup in 2022.

Saturday was the final game for standout Loyola seniors Marycait Mackie and Clare Weasler, who hold the record for most wins (106: 38 in 2023-’24, 34 in ’24-25, 34 in ’25-’26) in program history, playing big roles in the Ramblers three straight state-qualifying runs.

Saturday also marked the third straight season that Loyola collected a state trophy — a first for the program. Loyola Academy was an all-boys school until 1994. Just a couple of years later, the Ramblers won back-to-back state championships (1997, 1998) under coach Tanya Johnson.

The season marked Schoenecker’s fourth overall trip to the state finals. He and the Ramblers picked up a fourth-place finish in 2012.

Stay tuned to The Record for an updated story with more game notes, quotes and photos.

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