It was a frigid February night, and the Oak Lawn Community High School girls basketball team was finishing up its regular season with a nonconference game miles from home in Bourbonnais, Ill. While the Spartans were battling in another tough game, much closer to home Evergreen Park and Shepard were closing out the South Suburban Conference Red slate.
Sitting in the stands, the Oak Lawn parents were all tuned into that game on their phones watching anxiously as it developed and still watching the live game in front of them. They were signaling updates down to the team bench. By halftime of the Oak Lawn game against Bradley, the deal was done back home.
Although the temperature dropped to single digits that night, the spirits of Oak Lawn head coach Mark Sevedge and each Spartan player rose to the sky in elation. Evergreen Park pulled off the upset over Shepard, which meant the Spartans grabbed hold of a share of yet another SSC Red championship.
It marked the fifth-consecutive year that Oak Lawn reigned as conference champions. The Spartans produced a conference record of 55-10 over that span. For a few of these seniors, it meant winning a conference title in every one of their high school years as they were four-year varsity players.
“I’m so happy for these seniors,” Sevedge said. “They had to deal with a lot of tough situations this season, and they stayed together through it all. I’m proud of their resilience.”
The adversity began during the very first game of the season when junior guard Bianca Fleitas injured her knee, and it looked like it might be a season-ending injury. She was expected to be a major source for scoring.
Senior Danielle Dempsey, who has started every varsity game for all four years, stepped up as a leader to steady the ship. She dominated action with double-digit scoring and rebounding. Fellow seniors Teagan Krzystof, who holds the school record for three-pointers in a season, Lamia Quinones, Kaitlyn Berkery, Jacky Canales, and Annie McGrath all rose the occasion as well with stifling defensive efforts and timely scoring. Rihana Osmani and Briana Torres provided much-needed depth and found themselves playing heavy productive minutes in big games.
Then, on December 21 in the third-place game of the Spartan Holiday tournament against TF South, Canales injured her wrist. It was another blow to the championship dream for Oak Lawn. But once again, the Spartans responded and continued to win. And after strenuous physical therapy, Fleitas made her way back to the court in limited action to try and keep things together.
“The team had to persevere through a few major injuries that could’ve sent this season into a tailspin,” Sevedge said. “They stuck together through it all as only a true team could. Our depth this season was a key component to our success. I give so much credit to our bench players for stepping up in games and practices. They continued to push each other hard so that everyone would continue to improve and would be ready when their number was called.”
In February, Canales returned to the lineup and the Spartans were once again at full strength until Berkery was injured. It was yet another obstacle for this group of gritty girls. Once again, they weathered the storm and pushed ahead to finish out the regular season.
So, as the Spartans finished their first half in Bourbonnais on Thursday night, they saw the final score of the EP game, and the long, strange trip came to an end with a flourish. The Spartans were once again on top of the SSC Red.
“I am so happy for the nine seniors,” Sevedge said. “They have been such a great group to be around every day, and they have earned the right to go out on top.”