By Jeff Vorva
Staff writer
It was a battle featuring two interim coaches on the sidelines.
Both Saint Xavier and Trinity Christian College had to find women’s basketball coaches roughly a month before the start of practice this season, and the athletic departments went to work. SXU hired assistant coach Sidney Lovitsch as an interim coach for a year and TCC hired Dominique Nelson, who had worked on the high school level as well as with the Chicago Sky as a basketball operations intern, as an interim coach for the season.
The two and their teams met on Dec. 9 and St. Xavier came up with a 74-56 victory on a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference game in Palos Heights.
SXU (4-5, 3-1) exploded for 29 points in the first quarter and never looked back.
Aaliyahna Derrell led the Cougars with 18 points and added nine assists. Jaidn Green had 16 points and seven rebounds. Alyssa Crenshaw had 10 rebounds and six steals.
Trinity (0-9, 0-4) was led by Hannah Schuringa’s 14 points. Desiree Berrian had 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Cougars host Indiana University Northwest at 1 p.m. on Dec. 16 then take a break before returning Dec. 29 to host Dakota State, which is ranked 15th in the country by the NAIA coaches.
The Trolls hope to snap their losing skid when they visit Roosevelt at 1 p.m. Dec. 16.
SXU men beat TCC
Cedric Johnson scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Cougars beat the Trolls, 83-72, in the men’s matchup on Dec. 9 in Palos Heights.
Steven Ukiteyedi had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Cougars (4-5, 2-2) and Andre Brandon had 15 points.
The Trolls (2-6, 0-4) were led by Brady Loerop’s 14-point, 12-rebond performance. Johnny Dieck, Jadon Williams and Colton Schutt each added 13 points.
Feminis earns honor
St. Xavier football coach Mike Feminis was named the American Football Coaches Association NAIA Region Two Coach of the Year.
The Cougars won their third straight Mid-States Football Association Midwest League title and sixth in the last seven seasons this year. They also made it to the NAIA national quarterfinals for the first time since 2019.
“This is a great honor,” Feminis said in a news release. “But I am very fortunate to have a tremendous coaching staff and a great group of guys who played their hearts out for each other all year. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Eller steps down
After four seasons, Becky Eller stepped down as the Trinity Christian College women’s volleyball coach.
In 2023, the Trolls made it to the Final Four of the CCAC tournament. In 2020, they qualified for the NAIA national tournament. She said she is stepping down to spend time with her family.
“Getting to coach college volleyball just might be the best job in the world,” she said in a news release. “I’m excited for the future of the program as they continue to build off their string culture and leadership, and I know God has an incredible plan for them.”
Magic number: 80
Moraine Valley Community College’s men’s basketball team beat Olive-Harvey 80-76 on Dec. 5 and Wilbur Wright 80-64 two days later. The Cyclones headed into this week’s action with a three-game winning streak and are 6-3 overall.
Fuentes on fire
MVCC’s women’s team received 37 points from Richards grad Deniza Fuentes in a 94-44 win over Wilbur Wright on Dec. 7 to improve to 8-4.