OAKLAND – With her 6-foot-2 frame, Evelyn Shane does most of her work near the basket. But with that area clogged up on Thursday, the Ursuline junior took her game to the perimeter.
Shane scored a game-high 18 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter as Ursuline held off Cor Jesu 46-40 in a Girls Independent Schools League clash Thursday at Ursuline Academy.
Ursuline (13-3; 3-1), which won its eighth consecutive game, defeated Cor Jesu for the second time this season after losing the previous eight meetings with the Chargers.
Neither Ursuline or Cor Jesu (10-3; 3-1) could find offense early as both Shane and Chargers forward Lauren Ortwerth served as rim protectors, denying shot attempts and corralling defensive rebounds. A first quarter defensive showcase ended with Ursuline holding a modest 4-2 lead.
“Points were tough to come by,” Cor Jesu coach Andrew Althage said. “We knew it was going to be one of those ‘grind-it-out’ type of games.”
With points-in-the-paint unavailable, Ursuline coach Jeff Stevens moved Shane to the top of the key, which afforded her space to drive to the rim while improving the spacing of other players on the perimeter. Shane and junior Ana-Marie Schueler drained three-point shots, and when Abby Walsh hit a buzzer-beating 3, Ursuline took a 19-16 lead into halftime.
“We were able to pass, cut and move the ball more,” Shane said of her move to the perimeter. “In the beginning, (the ball) was sticking (on one side), but we were able to drive, kick and get our reposts in the second quarter.”
Solid perimeter play continued for Ursuline in the second half. A baseline drive by Shane resulted in a corner-3 from Schueler, who drained her second triple of the game after going 4-for-5 from behind the arc in the Bears’ victory over Villa Duchesne on Monday.
“I’ve been working on relocating to the corner when my teammates drive and the defense collapses,” said Schueler, who scored 12 points. “It was really a team effort. We were able to work the ball in and out until we got the shot we wanted.”
Cor Jesu junior Lauren Ortwerth entered the contest averaging 24 points and 14 rebounds over her previous four games. She scored nine of the Chargers 16 first-half points and was a force defensively and on the glass, but an ankle injury forced her out of the game early in the third quarter.
Ortwerth’s absence freed up space for Ursuline senior Ella Hunter to score twice in the paint on nifty assists from sophomores Ellie Tiburzi and Abby Walsh as Ursuline opened a 30-24 lead.
Walsh, who drained nine three-pointers during the Bears’ postseason run to the Class 4 state quarterfinal, has taken a different role this season as a facilitating point guard. She recorded 52 assists through 30 games last season and has already eclipsed that total this season.
“She’s doing a really good job commanding the floor and getting us into what we need to get into,” Stevens said of Walsh. “She’s creating, passing the ball extremely well and finding her teammates for easy shots.”
Despite the loss of Ortwerth to injury, Cor Jesu refused to go quietly. Back-to-back three-pointers by seniors Genevieve Wynne and Madi Beuligmann tied the score at 31 with 5:40 remaining in the game.
“We had to switch things up to look at where we were going to attack from,” Althage said. “I thought we did a good job of moving the basketball and that opened up some opportunities to attack, get downhill and find open shots.”
But seconds later, Shane drained a corner-3 in transition to put Ursuline ahead to stay.
“I was open and thought, ‘I’m just going to shoot this,’” Shane said.
Shane’s momentum-swinging shot became the catalyst for an 11-0 run by Ursuline which consisted of seven points from Shane and four from junior Nancy King, who was playing in just her sixth game of the season after missing the first 10 while recovering from a knee injury.
“Nancy gave us some good minutes today. Having her back is very important for us,” Stevens said.
Again, Cor Jesu refused to fold. A three-ball from Wynne, a pair of baskets by sophomore Roslyn Doherty and a tough runner by sophomore Maddie DiMaria sliced the deficit to 43-40 in the final minute.
“I saw resilience,” Althage said. “We knew we had it in us. It was just having that confidence.”
A steal in the backcourt gave the Chargers a fast break opportunity with 30 seconds remaining, but a layup attempt did not fall, and Hunter and Schueler were able to close out the game for the Bears from the free throw line.
Cor Jesu, which dropped into a three-way tie for second place in GISL with a 3-1 conference mark, will not play again until a Tuesday home matchup against Oakville (9-5). It’s a welcomed rest for the Chargers and for the sore ankle of Ortwerth.
Ursuline will play in the 11th Washington Tournament beginning at 4 p.m. Monday with a game against Warrenton. The tournament includes St. Dominic, Lutheran South, Francis Howell Central, Summit, Fort Zumwalt South and the host school Washington.
“I’m pretty confident going in. I know my team’s skills and everything that we’ve worked for,” Schueler said of the upcoming tournament.
And whether it’s the willingness of Walsh to change roles or the willingness of Shane to change positions, the Bears have developed a mindset for success.
“The closeness of our team is what drives us. We all want to win for each other,” Schueler said.
Shane added, “We believe in, ‘We before me.’”