OP_033017

44 | March 30, 2017 | The orland park prairie sports
opprairie.com
Girls Water Polo
Final 3 minutes doom Eagles at LW Central
Steve Millar
Freelance Reporter
Megan Cales called it
luck, but the Lincoln-Way
Central sophomore came
through big in the clutch
March 22 for the Knights.
Cales scored with 41
seconds left to lift the host
Knights to a 9-8 win over
Sandburg in a SouthWest
Suburban Conference game.
“It was mostly lucky, honestly,”
Cales said. “It was a
game-winner, though, and
I’m proud of it. As a team,
we did amazing. We couldn’t
have won this game without
the whole team.”
Nicole McCabe led the
Knights (5-2, 3-0) with four
goals.
Vaia Makris scored three
goals to pace Sandburg (3-7,
1-1).
Cales’ game-winner came
after McCabe got the ball
on the right wing and drew
a double team, leaving the
sophomore open.
Cales called for the ball,
got it and sent a tough-angle
shot for the near post. Sandburg
goalkeeper Emma Crnich
got a piece of it, but not
enough to stop it from tucking
inside the post.
“I just have a passion to
shoot,” Cales said. “I have
a loud voice, so I’m able to
use it well during the game.
I was letting Nicole know I
was open, and she passed it
to me.”
Cales has made the leap to
varsity starter after splitting
time between varsity and junior
varsity this past season.
“This is such a big change
going into this year,” she
said. “I love it. I have such
a passion for water polo, and
I can’t wait to see what the
rest of the season brings.”
Cales’ goal completed
an impressive rally for the
Knights.
Sandburg closed the third
quarter on a 4-0 run, getting
goals from four different
players. After Erin Falsey (2
goals) scored off a rebound,
the Eagles had a 7-5 lead going
into the fourth.
Sandburg was again up
two goals when Makris
scored off a Central turnover,
making it 8-6 with 3:14
to go.
The Knights fought back,
though. McCabe scored her
fourth goal with 2:31 to go,
and Erin Muellerschoen put
in a rebound to tie it with
1:29 left, setting up Cales’
heroics.
“We all motivate each
other,” McCabe said. “We
all get excited out in the water.
We push each other. Our
coaches help us with their
positive attitudes, saying,
‘We can do it. We’re going
to come back.’”
McCabe is having a big
season in her first year at
Central. The senior transferred
from Lincoln-Way
East with the district boundary
changes this year.
“It was challenging, but
the girls are so awesome,”
McCabe said. “I get along
with everyone. Our coaches
are awesome. Everyone has
made it an easy switch.
“We all get along so well.
We just click in the water,
and I think that team chemistry
will get us far.”
Caroline Heathcock, Cetta
Senese and Nikki Howe
scored one goal each for the
Knights, and Claire Connors
made 11 saves.
Crnich, meanwhile, did
her best to keep Sandburg
in the game. She made 14
saves, including a pair of
stops on Central breakaways.
“Emma is a stud,” Sandburg
coach Greg Svevo said.
“I have nothing bad to say
about her.”
Natalie Barkowski and
Tara Maher (2 goals) came
through with big goal during
the third-quarter surge for
the Eagles.
The final three minutes,
though, doomed Sandburg.
“We played good defense
all game,” Svevo said. “They
just kind of stepped up on the
offensive end in the fourth.
They drew fouls and kickouts,
and those hurt us.”
Despite the loss, Svevo
saw his team make major
progress.
“This is the second game
we’ve been full strength,” he
said. “We had people out for
band or for debate — stuff
like that. We’re starting to
play together again, and
we’ve got to learn to play
together. Playing the No. 9
team in the state this close
was a good game for us.”
It was also a sign that the Eagles
can contend in the SWSC.
They opened conference play
with a win March 21 over
Homewood-Flossmoor.
“I was a little skeptical at
first,” Svevo said. “[Lincoln-
Way Central] is ranked No.
9 in the state, and [Lincoln-
Way East] is No. 11, and
we’re down at No. 21. After
seeing the way we played
this game, though, I definitely
think we can compete.”
Sports Briefs
Orland Parker receives
Academic All-CCIW honor
North Central College has
released its list of 75 Academic
All-College Conference of Illinois
& Wisconsin selections for
the 2016-2017 fall season
In order to earn Academic
All-CCIW honors, individuals
needed to have earned a varsity
letter in their sport and maintained
at least a 3.30 GPA. A total
of seven Cardinals are fourtime
qualifiers for the award this
season, including Kelsey Forkin,
a senior from Orland Park,
who plays women’s tennis.
Chiefs alumni play for charity
Chiefs D230 high school and
current college lacrosse players
gathered over the winter break
at The Sportsplex for their fifth
annual alumni game, to benefit
the Ryan Nash Foundation.
Each player donates money to
play and all the proceeds from
the game go to the Ryan Nash
golf outing held at Silver Lakes
Country Club. Current Chiefs
HS players competed against 20
players representing 16 different
universities. Orland Parkers
playing included Brandon Hanley
(St. Ambrose), Neil Panega
(Aquinas), Dan Norkiewicz
(Carthage),cDylan Ruff (Iowa),
Matt Lowry (ISU), Eddie Hanly
and David Haggerty (Indiana
U), Pat Kurtovich (U Illinois),
Jordan Loeffler (Concordia IL),
Eric Wenzel (MV), Joe Nichols
(Loyola), T.J. Boehm (Marquette
Club) and Robbie Maxfield
(Davidson).
Also represented were former
Chief youth players Frankie
Kamley (Loyola MD), Johnny
Danko (Augustana), Trevor
Manzke (Benedictine U), Pat
Reilly and Kyle Anderson (MV).
Joe Kuligoski wraps up college
basketball career with EIU
The Eastern Illinois University
men’s basketball team recently
sent an end-of-season update
on its season.
No. 24 Joe Kuligoski — a
6-foot-6, 200-pound forward
from Orland Park — is a senior
on the team. He finished the
season averaging 1.8 points per
game, 1 rebound per game and
.7 assists per game in 24 games
played.
He played solid minutes off
the bench at Murray State finishing
with five points, two assists
and two blocks during 11
minutes of action. It was the
fifth time Kuligoski has scored
five points or more in a game
this season, with a high of eight
at Illinois-Chicago. It was the
fourth straight game he has
passed out at least one assist.
He made 15-of-41 field goals
(.366) on the season, and 7-of-
24 (.292) 3-pointers. He also hit
6-of-10 (.600) free throws.
He scored in 10 games off
the bench. He had five points
at Murray State, five points at
Morehead State, back-to-back
3-pointers against Jacksonville
State to finish with 6 points
against former school (played
two years at JSU), and a seasonhigh
eight points at UIC going
3-of-4 from the floor.
In his final season, he played
a total of 171 minutes, averaging
7.1 per game, with 101 (7.8)
coming in conference games.
He played in the starting lineup
Feb. 9 against Southeast Missouri.
On his career, he played in
53 games, starting in nine. He
was 46-for-112 (.411) when it
came to field goals, 14-for-54
(.259) for 3-pointers and 18-
for-28 (.643) in free throws. He
had a total of 99 rebounts (1.9
per game), 33 assists and nine
blocks.
Compiled by Editor Bill Jones,
bill@opprairie.com.
high school
highlights
The rest of the week in high school sports
Softball
Moline 8, Sandburg 4
Sam Udarbe pitched for the Eagles, but a
high-scoring Moline proved stuff to top, as
Sandburg started its season Saturday, March
18, by falling to 0-1.
Moline 15, Sandburg 14
Sam Udarbe pitched for the Eagles again in
the second game of a doubleheader Saturday,
March 18, to start the season against Moline. And
though the Eagles scoring was more prolific the
second time around, and the teams has to place
11 innings in Game 2 to decide things, Sandburg
still ultimately dropped to 0-2 on the season.
Girls Soccer
Sandburg 4, Plainfield Central 0
Maddie Manzke scored two goals, and Paige
Pappanastos scored another two Saturday,
March 18, as the Eagles bested Plainfield North.
Courtney Hiler recorded the shutout. The win
put Sandburg at 1-0 to start the season.