Trinity Girls Basketball Takes First Step Toward State

One down and six to go for the Trinity girls basketball team.

The Blazers took the first step toward a state title by dispatching Glenbard East 71-36 in the Class 4A Trinity regional semifinals Tuesday evening in River Forest.

“We definitely want to go downstate and play for the state title,” said Trinity junior forward Megan Podkowa, who delivered game-highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds along with four steals and two assists in less than three quarters of action. “I think our morale is really good right now. We have great team chemistry. I think we’re better than we ever have been in the past.”

Trinity (26-4) used it playoff opener to tune up for the tougher challenges that await.

The Blazers tried a 2-2-1 press. It eventually paid big dividends as they converted a host of backcourt steals into layups and free-throw opportunities.

Glenbard East (5-21) stayed even with the home team through the first four minutes before Trinity scored eight unanswered points to take a 14-6 lead.

A 13-0 run to start the second quarter put the Blazers ahead 32-11, and they maintained that spread at halftime at 38-17.

The Rams started the second half strongly and closed within 39-24.

But then Trinity re-asserted itself and took full control with a 19-0 run. Podkowa scored nine in the spree.

“I think we did a really good job,” Podkowa said. “We definitely kept playing as hard as we could throughout the game.”

Trinity sophomore guard Taylor Nazon, who missed her team’s last game with tendonitis in both knees, contributed 14 points, including 10 in the first half.

“We got her back in the swing of things today a little bit, so that was a good thing,” coach Ed Stritzel said.

“It’s been really rough,” Nazon said of her knee troubles. “I was trying to see how they felt. My knees still really hurt, but I’ve got to push it through. It’s playoff time.”   

Junior forward Alyssa Dengler connected on a pair of three-pointers on her way to 13 points for the winners. She also had three assists. Teammate Victoria Harris, a junior center, chipped in 10 points and four steals.

Trinity shot 48 percent (28 for 58) from the field.

The Blazers used their press to harass Glenbard East into making 26 turnovers while committing only 10 themselves.

“It’s a new defense so it took us a second to kind of get into it and get used to it, but we got into a nice rhythm,” Nazon said. “We played really well together.”

Next up for Trinity is West Chicago (17-10), a 50-46 winner over York, in Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. regional final.

If they keep winning, the Blazers could run into Fenwick in the York sectional final.

“Fenwick is one of our big rivals so if we do get to play them it’ll be exciting,” Podkowa said.

A tough regular-season schedule has prepared the Blazers for the playoffs. Stritzel said his club has faced 14 of the Chicago Tribune’s Top 25 teams, including seven of the top 11.

“We might never get there, but our goal is to win the state championship,” Stritzel said. “We have an extremely tough sectional here, but we’re not going to be afraid of anybody. We’ve played them all already.”