Girls Basketball: Maggie Lewandowski, Oswego East start fast, race past Oswego to snap seven-game losing streak

OSWEGO – Maggie Lewandowski said she’s been reflecting on Oswego East’s last few games, thinking about what she can do to help her team get an elusive win.

“I just wanted to come out fast,” said Lewandowski, Oswego East’s sophomore guard. “I know when we start fast that’s kind of how the rest of the game carries out.”

She got what she wanted, and the Wolves needed.

Lewandowski scored seven of her 11 points in the first quarter, helping Oswego East jump out to a 15-point lead on visiting Oswego. The Wolves overcame cold shooting the rest of the way for a 42-24 crosstown win, and in the process snapped a seven-game losing streak.

Oswego East’s win was its first since its season-opening game with Downers Grove South. Lewandowski also had a huge hand in that one, two free throws with seconds remaining for a one-point win.

On Friday she twice scored on driving layups in the first quarter, one a coast-to-coast variety, and helped the Wolves pressure the Panthers into 11 first-quarter turnovers for an 18-3 lead after the first eight minutes.

Freshman Desiree Merritt also scored six of her 10 points in the first quarter for Oswego East (2-7, 1-2).

“It’s been tough to get that second win, let’s face it,” Oswego East coach Abe Carretto said. “Against Minooka we had a chance, very close game, and this game is always a tough game. It was nice to get a good lead. That definitely helped us.”

It didn’t help Oswego.

The Panthers (2-10, 0-4) only managed eight made free throws in the first half, and didn’t convert their first field goal until freshman Ahilivia East’s driving layup a minute into the third quarter.

“It’s hard to win that way, and even then we had a chance,” Oswego coach Dave Lay said. “We came out, and they were playing at a different level than us. I don’t know the reason for that. They outplayed us for the first 16 minutes. I thought we competed much better in the second half and started to close the gap.”

Oswego did it by making Oswego East a jump-shooting team on a night where those jump shots were not falling. The Wolves were just 3-for-20 from 3-point range, many of the attempts well beyond the 3-point line.

“That was the plan,” Lay said. “The whole game plan was we can’t let them drive. They’re very fast. I was starting to dream big, but we couldn’t get over the hump.”

“Our shots were not going in,” Carretto said. “We were getting some good looks the majority of the time, but when we had that lead we should have been more patient. Some of those shots were too far out. We were 10 feet away from the line a couple times.”

Cami Phillips added seven points for Oswego East. Emily Mengerink scored seven points and Kendall Fulton had 15 rebounds for Oswego, which was playing without senior guard Anna Johnson because of a soccer commitment.

With Johnson not there, the two very young teams started a combined one senior between them and each started two freshmen.

One of Oswego East’s most experienced girls, in fact, is the sophomore guard Lewandowski who is clearly developing into one of the Wolves’ leaders.

“She can really move well in the open court,” Carretto said. “For her, it’s a matter that in the halfcourt she likes to drive to the hoop. I hope throughout the season she finds a way to shoot that 10-footer. It’s been nice to see her grow, get better.”