Last season, Orland Park’s Ana Cizek hit 60 3-pointers to break an Andrew girls basketball record that stood for more than 20 years.
On Dec. 18, the 5-foot-6 senior guard continued to show she is more than just a shooter this season. Cizek hauled down 11 rebounds, had two steals and scored 16 points in a 55-43 win over Sandburg in Tinley Park.
Oh, basketball is not even her No. 1 sport. That would be softball, and she’ is heading to Penn next season to play there’s a Penn recruit.
“Softball has always been a constant, but basketball is a second love,” Cizek said. “It’s a break from softball to have fun and let some steam off.
“I think the two sports balance each other out so well.”
The Thunderbolts (6-4, 3-3 SouthWest Suburban) also had 12 points and nine rebounds from Christa Olson, 11 points from Bree Milazzo and 10 from Nawal Keleel.
Zoe Trunk led Sandburg with 14 points.
Meanwhile, Andrew coach Bobby Matz appreciates Cisek’s talents on both ends of the court.
“Rebounding has been a quiet part of her game,” he said. “I notice it in the game and when we watch game film. You see her shooting, attacking the rim and handling the ball but when you look deeper, it’s like — wait a second — she has a ton of rebounds.”
Cisek says she puts effort in her defensive game.
“It’s just hustle for me and seeing opportunities present themselves,” Cizek said. “It’s being in the right position and boxing out. I do exert myself a lot and I put a lot of effort into it.”
She has also put in a lot of effort into her softball career as the middle infielder and was an Illinois Softball Coaches Association third-team all-state player in the spring.
She has played in various national tournaments over the years in travel ball and was excited when Penn called out of the blue.
“I had no idea they would call me and they were the first school to reach out to me,” she said. “You can’t get much better than an Ivy League education, right?”
Sandburg hoped to recover from the Andrew loss on Dec. 20, but fell 48-33 to Hinsdale Central the Sandburg Shot Clock Charity Shootout. Trunk had eight points to lead Sandburg (5-7).
This is the third year of the shootout and second time the girls team was invited to play.
This year’s charity was Lurie Children’s Hospital and it honored the late Bob Fabrizio, a former coach and athletic directors at area schools, including Stagg.
The Eagles girls team hopes to recharge when it hosts a 16-game tournament Dec. 27-30. Andrew and Riverside-Brookfield are other area teams in the field.