Lamia Quinones does more to help Oak Lawn win than what shows up in the scorebook.
“I like to pass around the ball and try to get others the opportunity to shoot,” Quinones said after a 66-13 South Suburban crossover win against Tinley Park on Dec. 12. “Even if they miss, I try to pump them up and let them know they’ll get the next one.
“She’s really fast getting to the basket, but really likes to share the ball and does it really well,” Oak Lawn coach Mark Sevedge said of Quinones. “She’s athletic, tough and likes to be tough on the defensive end too.”
Thirteen players had at least one basket for the Spartans against Tinley Park. Senior Danielle Dempsey had a game-high 13 points, including three 3-pointers, with eight rebounds and seven steals. Oak Lawn had 12 3-pointers, shooting 52 percent from beyond the arc.
Quinones sparked a 25-7 run in the third quarter with a basket of her own which she followed up shortly after with a steal and assist. She contributed six points, six assists and four steals.
Both Sevedge and Quinones will tell you how well these girls play with each other.
“We have a great group,” Sevedge said. “They love playing basketball together. It is a lot of fun to coach and they just love being on the court together.”
Quinones usually enjoys watching basketball over playing, but that has changed with this group of Spartans.
“Instead of considering them just people we just play with, it is more like a family environment. It makes us just play better,” Quinones said. “We feel more connected with each other.”
She and her teammates plan hangouts throughout the year, including a golf outing.
“It was fun to talk to each other about other things than basketball and get out of the basketball environment for a bit,” Quinones said. “It was a really fun experience to have with them.”
Quinones hopes to continue her athletic and academic careers at four-year school where she can work toward a nursing degree. For now, she takes pride in helping her teammates on the court or on the track as a 400-meter runner in the spring.
“I try to tell people not (to) get in their heads and just have a good race or game,” she said.
The Tinley Park win was a bounceback after a tough 57-53 loss to Hillcrest two days earlier.
“We are a confident group. They take losses hard but recover pretty quickly,” Sevedge said. “We were upset about (the Hillcrest) game but we recovered, had a really good practice and I felt they came in good (against Tinley Park).”