Latest news with #BrooklynnJohnson
Chicago Tribune
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Maya Cobb can score points for Waubonsie Valley. But she knows what makes her teammates go. ‘Get the energy flowing.'
Waubonsie Valley's Maya Cobb couldn't help but smile at the mere mention of it. The topic of the day was defense, and take-your-breath-away pressure defense, in particular. Cobb, a 5-foot-3 junior guard, and the Warriors take great pride in their full-court trapping press. The team goes pretty much six deep until the game is in hand. Until then, Waubonsie appears to be coming at their opponent in waves, and they are pretty relentless in the process. 'We know our defense fuels our offense, of course,' Cobb said. 'Getting stops, that's just getting the momentum of the game going. 'Just to get the energy flowing, that's what my part is. I try to do it for the team, to defensively bring energy so we can come out on top.' Helped by Cobb, the Warriors had plenty of energy Thursday in a Class 4A regional final they hosted, forcing nine turnovers in the first quarter to take control in an 82-44 win over West Aurora. The victory sends second-seeded Waubonsie (29-1) to a 7:30 p.m. Tuesday semifinal in the Bolingbrook Sectional against third-seeded Bolingbrook (20-10) or sixth-seeded Yorkville (19-10). Junior guard Danyella Mporokoso scored 27 points Thursday to lead the Warriors, who are riding a 19-game winning streak. Senior forward Lily Newton added 18 points, followed by junior guard Arie Garcia-Evans with 16 and Cobb with 12. Senior guard Brooklynn Johnson, a St. Xavier recruit and the Upstate Eight Conference's MVP, produced 19 points and six rebounds for West Aurora (21-5). Senior guard Shiane Johnson, playing with a heavily bandaged injured thumb on her shooting hand, added 12 points. 'It was difficult to get past the pressure,' Brooklynn Johnson said. 'We weren't really faced with games like this throughout the season because conference wasn't as strong as it was last year.' Cobb, who rotated between the junior varsity and varsity as a freshman, came off the bench last season as the sixth man but is now a starter for Waubonsie coach Brett Love. 'It's definitely changed my role,' Cobb said. 'It's different from getting put in the game and reacting to what's already happened. You're trying to start the momentum and keep it going.' The move has been seamless. 'She's improved so much on defense — she's really worked hard on that,' Mporokoso said of Cobb. 'She can contribute offensively and get us some tough buckets, whether it's a 3-pointer or her little floater.' But the Blackhawks, who won the Upstate Eight Conference title, finished the first half with 16 turnovers and trailed 44-23. 'It's the best defensive team we've seen all season,' West Aurora coach Teresa Waldinger said. 'We didn't have a lot of preparation for that kind of defense, and I give credit to them. 'They're a very disciplined basketball team. We tried to hang and couldn't come away with it. We haven't been pressed a whole lot this season and clearly met our match.' Newton, who made 3 of 6 shots from beyond the 3-point line, led the Warriors with 11 rebounds and Garcia Evans chalked up six steals. 'Every day in practice, we work on defense, communicating through traps,' Mporokoso said. 'I think we all have good chemistry on defense. I think it would be really tough to face us.' Cobb, who added three rebounds, two steals and two assists Thursday, averages 10 points a game and is one of four starters who average in double figures for Love. 'Her defense has really picked up a lot,' Love said of Cobb. 'Her hustle plays, getting 50-50 balls and creating extra possessions has been a boost. 'And being able to shoot the way that she does, she's a basketball player. I mean, she can handle the ball, dribble into the teeth of the defense, finish well and really shoot at a high clip.'
Chicago Tribune
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
At 5-foot-4, West Aurora's Maya Rabadan isn't your typical post player. But it doesn't bother her. ‘I like change.'
West Aurora junior Maya Rabadan was really surprised last season when she was asked to play in the post. That was understandable considering the 5-foot-4 Rabadan, one of the shortest players in the program, had never played inside. 'I was a guard freshman year and halfway through sophomore year we lost a player, so they just put me (at center),' Rabadan said. 'I'm not the tallest, so it was a little scary. 'But it was OK. I like change.' It turns out Rabadan likes playing in the lane, where the buck often stops with her. 'She's our leading rebounder nearly every game,' West Aurora coach Teresa Waldinger said. 'She's just so gritty when it comes to her defensive passion. 'It's all about heart, so we can always just count on Maya.' The seventh-seeded Blackhawks did so again on Monday. Rabadan scored four points and led all players with 11 rebounds and five steals as West Aurora eliminated 10th-seeded Downers Grove South 50-39 in a Class 4A Waubonsie Valley Regional semifinal in Aurora. It was the 12th consecutive win for the Blackhawks (21-4), who advance to face second-seeded Waubonsie Valley (28-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday for the regional championship. Senior guard Brooklynn Johnson led West Aurora with 27 points, while sophomore guard Syncere Williams added 10 points and senior guard Shiane Johnson had seven points. But it was Rabadan who set the tone early, recording four of her steals and three offensive rebounds in the first quarter while helping defend Downers Grove South star Hayven Harden. The 6-0 Harden scored 18 points, including the 1,000th of her career, but was held relatively in check on the boards, finishing with six rebounds. She fouled out midway through the fourth quarter with West Aurora holding a 43-37 lead. The Mustangs (16-16) went scoreless for nearly three minutes and tallied just two points the rest of the way. The St. Xavier-bound Brooklynn Johnson credited Rabadan for her work on Harden. 'She's just aggressive,' Johnson said. 'She's the most aggressive player, especially on boards. She really goes and gets after it. She wants it more than anybody else.' Rabadan demonstrated that throughout Monday's game. She attempted only three shots but had four offensive rebounds, including one with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter that led to Shiane Johnson sinking two free throws for a 48-39 cushion. 'She has that heart and that drive that you just can't teach a kid,' Waldinger said of Rabadan. 'She's so strong and she just wants it. 'She's always solid, but she was definitely more aggressive throughout the entirety (Monday).' Such resilience proved infectious as the Blackhawks earned a 26-24 rebounding edge on the taller Mustangs. West Aurora also feasted at the foul line of the physical and tightly officiated battle, sinking 22 of 30 free throws, with Brooklynn Johnson going 14 for 17. 'I feel like it was a team effort,' Rabadan said. 'All of us wanted the ball. All of us wanted to win.' And what was the key? 'It's just the rebounding, I guess,' Rabadan said. 'It's just heart and just wanting the ball.' While Rabadan hasn't added any height, the stature of her game is expanding. 'I feel like I've grown from the beginning of the season,' Rabadan said. 'I like scrapping for the ball and getting the ball, making sure we get a second look.' Although West Aurora will be huge underdogs against Waubonsie, the Blackhawks now have a chance to win their first regional title since 2006. 'I think we can win,' Brooklynn Johnson said. 'We all want it. We're all aggressive.'
