A Ray of light for Knights
FRANKFORT -- Blu-ray discs have become the optimum way of viewing high-definition video. Ever since suffering a preseason ankle injury, Lincoln-Way Central High School sophomore Kaitlyn Ray has been the epitome of a blue-Ray player.
But when senior guard/forward Amanda Boyd departed with her third foul at 5:48 left in the second quarter Tuesday afternoon, Knights coach Loren Hess handed the director's keys to Ray and told her to produce without even needing to say a word.
photos by michael r. schmidt/staff photographer
It was, basically, her show.
"That's actually a good point," Hess said. "Ray didn't panic. She had all the pressure on her, but she was the go-to girl, she distributed the ball well and she played well. In general, I certainly would not want to keep getting Amanda in foul trouble, but it did help open up a few opportunities for Kaitlyn."
Opportunity knocked for Jamie Foxx in "Ray" and he answered. A sight-to-see 5-foot-6 guard, Kaitlyn Ray staged her own stellar biopic in the third-place game of the Medieval Classic, scoring a game-high 19 points to send the Knights to a 56-46 basketball win over Joliet Catholic Academy.
Besides being a ray of light for the Knights with 5 steals, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Ray also shot 11-of-14 from the free-throw line for Lincoln-Way Central (7-7) -- including 3-of-4 in the final 1:32 of the fourth quarter to clinch. Boyd, meanwhile, finished as big with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Both Boyd and Ray were named to the all-tournament team. Junior forward/center Hilary Soderborg picked up 10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists, while senior guard Meghan Chevalier chalked up 5 points and 3 assists and senior forward Alison Towery added 4 points and 8 boards.
All-tournament selections Katie Condon and Kate Ponce paced hearty JCA (2-11). Condon, a senior guard, contributed 18 points, 3 assists and 3 steals and Ponce, a junior guard, notched 12 points, 8 assists and 3 steals. Junior center Maggie Scudder also provided 8 points off the bench.
However, with Boyd either on the bench or scoreless during the middle quarters, Ray recorded 10 points.
It was, poignantly, her time.
"Finally, Kaitlyn Ray is back into a groove," Hess said. "Hopefully, we're past the problems with her ankle. It still hobbles her on occasion, but Kaitlyn and Amanda play well together. I was concerned at first when Boyd got into the foul trouble because their presence on the floor really helps."
"Oh, yes, Ray definitely picked me up when I was down," said Boyd, who totaled 9 points and 5 rebounds in the first quarter alone. "I got a few fouls early and she helped me out in that sense. She took care of business."
Said Ray: "It wasn't a good thing because we need Amanda in there. But without her, it definitely opened up the floor a little bit more for me. It was a big blow when she had the fouls and we work so well together, but it was exciting to have a breakout game."
These have been the breaks for JCA, which trailed throughout after Condon scored on a cutter from senior forward Jessica Tezak (8 rebounds, 2 steals) for a 2-2 tie only 2:43 into the first quarter. A pair of Boyd putbacks and a Ray free throw put Lincoln-Way Central ahead 7-2 at 4:03.
A baseline jumper by senior center/forward Lindsay Shankland (5 points, 3 steals) and a lean-in drive by Condon off Ponce's push brought the Angels within 11-7 at 2:01 left. Boyd, though, buried a wide-open 3-ball and Ray swished a freebie and a baseline jumper for a 17-7 lead at 49.9 seconds.
Still, Condon converted a pair of free throws at 31.7 seconds for a 17-9 deficit and senior forward Katie Hickey (7 rebounds) sank another for a 17-10 deficit 15 seconds into the second quarter. That established the tempo -- the Knights gaining a double-digit lead, the Angels rallying.
"I'm very proud of our girls," JCA coach Ed Schodrof said. "They battled the whole tournament and they represented the school and themselves very well. They have a lot of heart, they don't ever quit and that's why it's fun to be around them. Regardless of the record, they will play with heart."
"We were down the whole game, but we tried to never give up," said Condon, who scored 11 points in the first half. "It seems like we were trailing teams the whole tournament, but we kept hustling to the end to try and pull it out. But it will come. It will."
After Soderborg's scoop layin and Towery's baseline jumper nudged the Knights to a 25-15 lead with 1:59 left in the second quarter, JCA came
back with the first of four 3-pointers by the sharpshooting Ponce. Chevalier's 3-ball at 39.9 seconds built the 30-18 lead at halftime.
Again, Ponce's banker trey took the Angels within 32-25 at 5:35 left in the third quarter. Ray's 2-on-1 fastbreak from Towery and Ray's free throws handed the Knights their biggest leads at 40-25 and 43-28, respectively. Eventually, Ponce's triple and Tezak's freebies dipped JCA's deficit to 51-46 with 1:46 to go in the fourth.
There. They were there.
"We had a shot," Schodrof confirmed. "But they're a very solid, fundamental team and I knew it would take a few mistakes on their part. They played a steady game all night long and the two or three breaks we needed on our side never materialized. I thought our energy was tremendous."
"It didn't really hit me that we were that close," Condon said. "We got a couple of good plays going and we were only down by seven or five and it was awesome. I thought we could get them at the end, but they kept driving and they kept making their shots."
Particularly from the foul line, where Lincoln-Way Central waxed poetic at 74.1 percent (20-of-27). Boyd, who scored 7 points in the fourth quarter, iced with a pair at 18.4 seconds and Ray drained a trifecta of freebies from 1:32 to 43.1 seconds with the surest flick of her wrist.
Good. They were good.
"I've been working hard on my free throws and I was bad on them at the beginning," Ray said. "But when I was out with my ankle, I wasn't able to do very much except shoot free throws. Driving to the basket was working for me, so I just kept doing it and hoped I would get fouled, make the basket or make the free throws."
