Stanford recruit Nora Ezike shakes off early spills, scores 29 to power Lyons past St. Charles East

LA GRANGE PARK – Nora Ezike walked with ice packs on both her knees, fitting for the aftermath of Saturday’s game.

On five different occasions the 6-foot-2 Lyons senior and Stanford recruit came down hard on the court after collisions. She shook her head in a bit of a daze after one in the second quarter, and left the game briefly.

“I went up for the ball and my legs got tripped up. It was a scary moment but had to come back and just play as aggressive as them,” Ezike said. “They’re a very physical team. I got a little banged up beginning of the game, but it’s all good.”

She was indeed no worse for wear.

Ezike shook off the spills, and a St. Charles East zone defense designed to slow her down, to score a game-high 29 points, with 13 rebounds and five steals.

Lyons, second-ranked in the latest Class 4A statewide poll, pulled away in the third quarter to build a 21-point lead, then held off St. Charles East late for a 72-62 win at the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest at Nazareth.

Lyons coach Meghan Hutchens didn’t seem surprised at the physical contact Ezike took, or that she could handle it – and dish it out.

“Every game,” Hutchens said. “Every game it’s let’s be as physical as we can with Nora. She takes a beating but she also plays physical. She’s going to see it at the next level. It’s good for her.”

Emma O’Brien added 22 points and nine rebounds and Gwen Smith 15 points, 13 in the second half, for Lyons (21-1).

Corinne Reed scored 24 points and Sofia O’Sullivan 16 for St. Charles East (16-5).

Ezike took some time to find her rhythm against St. Charles East’s zone, with just one shot attempt over the first six minutes.

But she came alive in the second quarter, scoring nine of her points with several aggressive drives through the zone to help Lyons build a 29-24 halftime lead.

Ezike, to her credit, didn’t force the action against a zone that frequently had multiple defenders collapse on her. And she was efficient, going 9 for 13 from the floor despite all the attention.

“It’s hard with a zone, there is someone always sitting in the paint and you have to maneuver. You can’t let them stop you from getting in the paint,” Ezike said. “I try to play within myself. If I’m marked or double marked one of my teammates is open.”

Indeed, O’Brien was more than willing to let it fly, with 14 of her 22 points in the first half. She hit four of Lyons' nine 3-pointers, but four Lions made shots from deep, including Ezike, and weren’t shy to let them go.

“All of them have the green light,” Hutchens said. “It’s important to look for their shot and they’re a threat. If they don’t look for their shot they hurt us. We want balance.”

St. Charles East was still within 35-32 midway through the third quarter after a turnaround jumper by Reed, an Akron recruit.

But Lyons turned up its transition game from there with a 10-0 run, forcing six turnovers in the third quarter, and took a 63-42 lead on an Ezike 3-pointer.

“I feel like we’re at our best in transition,” Ezike said. “A lot of us can run the floor.”

That includes Ezike.

On two occasions Lyons' tallest player went coast-to-coast for baskets, showcasing her tantalizing talent Hutchens said is probably frightening to girls that try to slow her down.

“She’s quick,” Hutchens said. “When she gets in the open court, watch out. More power to any kid that is going to stand in front of her, because it’s not a light tap. She’s at her best there.”

St. Charles East, which twice trailed by 21, showed little quit.

O’Sullivan, in foul trouble early, scored 10 of her total in the fourth quarter, and Reed scored eight. O’Sullivan’s score with 2:29 left pulled the Saints within 65-58, and they had two shots miss to draw closer.

“We had a little lapse in the third quarter when it got away from us a little bit but fourth quarter we just reminded everybody to lock in,” Saints coach Katie Claussner said. “We battled through worse and had to keep fighting. If we would have done it five minutes earlier, maybe a different story.”

The Saints, though, once again showed they’re close to breaking into the state’s upper crust. The DuKane Conference leader’s five losses all have come to teams ranked statewide, and they’ve been competitive.

“We are fighting to prove that we should be up there,” Claussner said. “We came up short but we will keep battling.”