Lyons coach Meghan Hutchens had a piece of advice for her Stanford-bound star, Nora Ezike, on Jan. 18.
The Lions had just downed St. Charles East 72-62 in the Coach Kipp’s Hoopfest at Nazareth. Ezike filled the stat sheet with a game-high 29 points, 13 rebounds, five steals, two assists and a block.
She also tumbled to the floor several times, prompting Hutchens to suggest an ice bath to ease whatever aches and pains resulted from the hard falls.
“Every game it’s, ‘Let’s be as physical as we can with Nora and see if the rest can keep up,'” Hutchens said. “She takes a beating, but she also plays physical. And she’s going to need to at the next level. So it’s good for her.”
Ezike, a 6-2 center who runs the floor like a guard, knows what to expect by now.
“Got a little banged up beginning of the game, but it’s all good,” she said. “I went up for the ball and got my legs got tripped up. So just a scary fall. But (I) just have to come back and play just as aggressive as them if you’re playing against a tough team like that.”
St. Charles East (16-5) was within three points midway through the third quarter before Lyons (21-1) surged ahead by 22 early in the fourth. The Saints got back within seven before the Lions closed it out.
Ezike kept Lyons on course, not just with her post play but also by making two 3-point attempts that stretched St. Charles East’s defense.
“I’ve been trying to work on expanding my shooting range — just being able to take 3s and consistently make them,” Ezike said. “The second half of the season, I’ve been seeing that improvement in my shot.”
Stepping out to the perimeter gives Ezike a respite from the defenses geared to stopping her.
“It’s harder with zones (where) there’s just someone always just sitting in the paint, so you just have to kind of maneuver,” Ezike said. “You shouldn’t let them stop you from getting into the paint.”
She’s not the only one finding succcess on the perimeter. The Lions were 9-for-24 from beyond the arc against the Saints. Emma O’Brien made four 3s and finished with 22 points, four assists, three blocks and two assists. Gwen Smith hit a pair of 3s and wound up with 15 points, three assists and four steals.
“I try not to force my shot and just play within the game, especially because if I’m marked or double-marked … one of my teammates will be open,” Ezike said.
Knowing that, Hutchens encourages her starters to take open shots where they find them.
“All of them have the green light,” Hutchens said. “And it’s important that they look for their shot. … There’s a few games where Tess (Bernson) and Avery (Mezan) stay quiet,” Hutchens said. “Because it’s easy when you have a big three — Gwen and Nora and Emma taking a lot of the shots — if they don’t look for their shot, they hurt us.
“Tess — she had (six) points, but those are (six) huge points. … They need to look for their own (shot) and we back each other and support each other. We want balance across the line.”