Whalen, Stevenson fly right by Mustangs
by bill pemstein Contributor January 14, 2012 10:30AM
Stevenson's Olivia Whalen (left). | Rob Dicker~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 20, 2012 8:16AM
She brings instant offense to the Stevenson girls basketball team.
And it’s easy to see why. Olivia Whalen is very, very fast. She makes steals, and then in that same instant, heads for the hoop for easy layups. That’s what an elite soccer player brings to the Patriots on the court.
The senior sat on the bench and watched her team take a commanding lead over visiting Mundelein on Jan. 12. And then Whalen entered and added to the Mustangs’ misery. Her steal and bucket made it a 19-2 Stevenson lead. Ms. Instant Offense drilled a 10-footer a minute later, and the romp was on.
Stevenson blitzed Mundelein 49-13 in his NSC Lake contest.
Whalen was called up to varsity late in her freshman season.
“I thought that was great,” she said. “It was a good experience.”
Whalen isn’t a starter for the Patriots (15-5 overall), but she is enjoying the team’s success.
Especially the romp over Mundelein. The Mustangs went scoreless in the third quarter as Stevenson opened up an improbable 41-7 lead.
“Everyone played great,” Whalen said. “Our defense was good. We really flew around.”
The Pats improved to 6-1 in conference play with a 41-32 win over Warren on Saturday.
“We are first in our conference,” she said.
Whalen plans to attend the University of Iowa and give soccer a chance.
Recap: Put it this way, after three quarters, Kari Moffat (11 points) and Alex Elzinga (8 points) had more points than the Mustangs. And Katie Batman (7 points) had as many points as the visitors did. Stevenson cleared its bench in this one-sided game. Players on the court in the fourth quarter went by the names of Paige Freudenberg, Jacqueline Green, Sophia Way and Haley Arenson.
The Mustangs had a tough time shooting (6-for-41 from the floor).
Stevenson coach Tom Dineen wasn’t expecting such a performance by Mundelein, but he gave some credit to Julia Dabrowski, his 6-foot-2 center. The senior added five points to the Pats’ attack.
“I think her goal is set the school’s career shot-block record in one season,” Dineen said. “She clogs up the middle. She’s blocked a lot of shots this year. And she has a soft little touch around the basket.”
Dineen continues to be impressed with point guard Moffat. Now in her third year running the Stevenson offense, Moffat looks very comfortable on the floor.
“She’s really had a good three weeks,” Dineen said. “She’s not turning the ball over. She had a good offensive game.”
A freshman has helped the recent run. Ninth-grader Taylor Buford is starting for the Pats. In the win over Warren on Saturday, she led the charge with 13 points.
“She’s very athletic,” Dineen said. “She really goes after the ball.”
On the schedule: Stevenson plays Zion-Benton tonight.
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