Back in 2020, Allee Hernandez was a graduate assistant women’s basketball coach at St. Francis in Joliet.
Morgan Littman was heading into sixth grade at St. Alexander in Palos Heights.
Hernandez was asked to help Littmann with her shooting and the two met at Palmer Park in Palos Heights.
“I remember the first shot that she took,” Hernandez said. “She crossed her arms and the ball went sideways.
“I said, ‘We have some work to do.’’’
Work was done and in 2026, the two are together again. This time Hernandez is the head varsity coach as Stagg and Littman is a sophomore on the Chargers who has a potent outside shot.
Littman hit four 3-point baskets and scored 12 points on Jan. 10 to help Stagg cool off red-hot Oak Lawn 50-45 in in Palos Hills.
Senior Abby Hobart, a Missouri S&T recruit, led the Chargers (10-7) with 18 points and added nine rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Raven Brewer had 13 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots to help snap Oak Lawn’s eight-game winning streak.
Littman learned well from those long-ago lessons.
“She fixed my shot,” Littman said of Hernandez. “She taught me proper form and we took reps over and over. It carried through over the years.
“I knew her from summer camps and I knew she was a former college player and I asked her if she would be interested in helping me out.”
Littman came off the bench against Oak Lawn and each of her successful treys came at key moments.
Her first came early in the second quarter to start an 11-point run. She had back-to-back 3-pointers toward the end of the third to give the Chargers a 39-32 lead. Her fourth came in the fourth quarter and gave the team a little breathing room with a 44-37 lead after the Spartans mounted a rally.
“I was feeling it and I like the corner spot,” Littman said.
Hernandez was impressed.
“She’s really, really stepped up,” Hernandez said. “It’s been really cool to see. I’m really proud of her with the way she has grown over the past several years.”
Fleitas still on a roll
Although Oak Lawn lost to Stagg, senior guard Bianca Fleitas stayed hot. She scored 27 points and had 10 rebounds, three steals, three assists and two blocked shots for the Spartans (13-6) against the Chargers.
Since earning MVP honors at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational, Fleitas has not slowed down.
Aside from the stat-stuffing game against Stagg, she had 16 points in a 60-46 win over Lemont; 14 points, six steals, five rebounds and five assists in a 53-24 win over Tinley Park; and 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a 50-24 win over Morton.