Lyons senior Emma O’Brien has showcased her multitalented game throughout her four-year varsity career.
But she’s never been asked to do as much as she has this year. The graduation of Nora Ezike, now at Stanford, has given O’Brien a chance to be the Lions’ clear-cut No. 1 player.
“I played three years with Nora, so I had a lot of time to get used to playing with her,” O’Brien said. “I’m definitely adjusting to a lot of my new teammates.
“Last year I feel like I didn’t have to do as much as I do this year. But it’s just adjusting to that role and I know I can do it, so I just need to be comfortable doing it.
“I feel I’m more of a leader this year. I just need to remind myself that if I’m not doing my best, I can still impact the game in other ways and help my teammates succeed.”
The 6-foot-1 O’Brien, a guard/forward who has committed to Cornell, has never been better than she was against Glenbard West on Dec. 19.
O’Brien scored 30 points, one off her career high set last year against Wheaton North, and added eight rebounds, five steals, four assists and four blocks.
The virtuoso performance wasn’t quite enough to lift the Lions to victory as the visiting Hilltoppers used a balance offense to pull out a 60-52 West Suburban Silver Division win. But it left Lyons coach Meghan Hutchens impressed.
“Emma played outstanding and what I loved about watching her tonight was that was determination,” Hutchens said. “She was determined not to go down easy.
“She was attacking the basket aggressively, she was posting up, she was making the correct pass or the extra pass, so I thought she played an outstanding game. We just needed someone to piggyback with her and jump on board, and we’ll get that.
“We’ve just got to learn a few things through manipulation of our offense and execution, and then we’ll be OK.”
The Lions (10-2, 3-2) were hampered by foul trouble.
Senior guard/forward Gwen Smith, who finished with 11 points, was the only Lion besides O’Brien to score more than six points.
Even so, the Lions led 34-31 in the third quarter before the Hilltoppers went on a 9-0 run. O’Brien, who shot 13 of 27, had 12 points in the fourth quarter, scoring in a variety of ways while making key steals and precision passes.
“She needed this breakout game,” Hutchens said. “Everyone right now, when they do a scouting report, is going to look at how to stop her, so I thought she did a phenomenal job just being unstoppable tonight.
“I’m really proud of her. I’m happy for her. She’s doing the little things well. I loved to see that from her. I also love to see her dictating and reminding her teammates, ‘Hey, we’re in this, hey, remember this.”
The leadership role has been a long time coming for O’Brien, but she’s eminently qualified. She also played four years of varsity volleyball, where she was a starting outside hitter, and had the potential to play that sport at the college level, too.
“I stopped playing club volleyball once I got to high school,” O’Brien noted. “I feel like basketball is just more my speed. Volleyball is really fun, but basketball I feel more comfortable doing.”