Latest news with #HinsdaleSouthSupersectional
Chicago Tribune
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Alainna Poisson, team leader and floor general, sums up Marian Catholic's feelings. ‘I wouldn't change anything.'
Senior point guard Alainna Poisson was running out of options for Marian Catholic. She had no choice but to change her demeanor and style to alter a difficult beginning. 'I didn't want the other players to have their heads down during the game,' Poisson said. 'I didn't want anybody to give up, because if they saw I put my head down, the way the younger players look at me, it would get translated the wrong way.' Nothing got lost in translation Monday night for Poisson. She closed out her remarkable career with 12 points, five rebounds and three steals for the Spartans in a 51-31 loss to St. Ignatius in the Class 3A Hinsdale South Supersectional in Darien. Senior forward Taylor Bolton scored seven points in a tough defeat for Marian Catholic (27-8), while senior forward Gracie Jensen added five points and six rebounds. It was the fourth straight time that Spartans ended their season with a supersectional setback. Poisson, a starter for the past three seasons, did everything imaginable to energize her time. She made a pair of 3-pointers and drove to the basket to generate free throws — and a spark. 'She's the head of the body of this team,' Bolton said of Poisson. 'We knew just because we had a slow start that she was going to do everything possible to get us back into the game. 'She's the point guard, leader of the team, the player everybody looks to give us energy.' Marian coach Dan Murray confirmed his team tends to drift if Poisson isn't on the court. 'She's been my floor general the last three years,' he said. 'A lot of what she does has just been unsung. She's so intelligent and she knows how to get everybody to their spots on the floor. 'She's just a phenomenal player and a phenomenal kid with what she has done for the program.' Her name translates as 'fish' in French, and Poisson constitutes her own school of thought on mastering the intricacies of being the point guard. 'The hardest point is knowing when to score and when to go look for your teammates,' she said. 'The first thing I learned is that everything's your fault. You're the general. You're the leader. 'If something happens and you didn't tell them, that is under your control. You have to control everything.' If her distinctive name feels familiar, it's because she follows older sister Janae, a former standout for the Spartans. Nine years older than Alaina, Janae is an assistant coach at St. Francis in Joliet. 'I don't even know if I'd be playing basketball unless she played,' Alaina said of Janae. 'I was just around the game when she was playing. 'I'd leave the house with her and my dad at 6 o'clock in the morning when they went to train. From there, I just picked up a ball.' At 5-foot-5, Alainna Poisson leans on her quickness, skill with the ball and feel for the game. Off the court, she describes herself as a 'goofball.' 'I try not to take things too seriously,' she said, fighting back tears. 'I know how serious it is deep down. When something's that serious, I try to be silly and help everybody else feel the same way.' Poisson, who has drawn recruiting interest from NCAA Division II and Division III programs, is also artistic and creative off the floor, showing sharp aptitude for broadcasting and graphic design. Her final high school basketball game was a moment to cherish and celebrate. 'I wouldn't change anything about these four years,' she said. 'The game is so competitive, so raw and real. It brings out a different kind of personality, mentally and physically.'
Chicago Tribune
28-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
In the end, Marian Catholic's Alainna Poisson puts away Providence with big 3-pointer. ‘The greatest feeling ever.'
With baskets being hard to come by, Marian Catholic's Alainna Poisson was feeling the pain. But even though the Spartans suffered an offensive breakdown Thursday night, the senior point guard wasn't going to give up — and she wasn't going to let her teammates give up, either. 'I told my teammates to keep shooting and keep shooting,' Poisson said afterward. 'It's really hard when we're not hitting shots, but we have to keep picking each other up.' Poisson provided that pick-up-me up when Marian Catholic needed it the most. After Providence cut a six-point deficit to one, Poisson hit a huge 3-pointer with 2:21 remaining in the fourth quarter for some breathing room as the host Spartans held on for a 32-29 victory in the Class 3A Marian Catholic Sectional championship game. Taylor Bolton, who made the team's only other 3-pointer, finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for Marian Catholic (27-8), which won its fourth straight sectional title. Gracie Jensen added six rebounds and six steals. Taylor Healy paced Providence (23-12) with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Molly Knight had seven points and eight rebounds. Poisson — who ended up with six points Thursday, which was second on the team — let the ball fly behind the top of the key for the dramatic 3-pointer. 'That was like the greatest feeling ever,' Poisson said. 'It was such a big game, and we needed a shot. We knew we needed a bucket to give us a big lead.' Bolton, who said that she and her fellow seniors did not want to end their final game in the Spartans' gym with a loss, was pumped up about Poisson's long-range strike. 'Alainna is always clutch,' Bolton said. 'She has the hardest job being a point guard, and sometimes, I think she gets overlooked. 'But when she hits a big bucket like that, she will get recognized. I definitely feel like this moment right here is very special for her and for the team.' It also means Marian gets to advance to a 6:30 p.m. game Monday in the Hinsdale South Supersectional against St. Ignatius (30-4) in Darien. St. Ignatius rolled to a 65-37 win over Perspectives Leadership to win the St. Laurence Sectional. Reganne Reardon scored a program-record 39 points. The Spartans took their four straight sectional title but still feel like they have unfinished business with an 0-3 record in their last three supersectionals. Poisson has been on varsity all four years. 'We want to go downstate,' she said. 'It's been tough knowing that we get this far and just miss getting to state. We want to do it this time.' In 2022, Marian dropped a tough 49-40 decision to downstate Morton at the Streator Supersectional. In 2023, Spartans suffered a tight 37-34 loss to Peoria in Pontiac. Last season, it was another heartbreaking 36-30 loss for the Spartans to host Hinsdale South. Marian coach Dan Murray knows his team survived an off shooting night but was glad the Spartans could still win against the Celtics. Marian beat Providence 52-41 earlier in the season. 'At this time of year, it's win and move on,' Murray said. 'It was a grind-it-out game for both teams. Shooting has been one of our strengths all year. It was mostly a four-point game in the fourth quarter, and we felt that if we could hit a three, it becomes a three-possession game. 'But they cut it to one, and Alaina's shot was huge.' It also wasn't unexpected. 'You have a kid who has been a point guard for three supersectional teams and that says it all,' Murray said. 'She's our leader and general, and I have the utmost confidence in her.'
