Sandburg’s Ellie Driscoll has an amazing support system.
Start with her grandfather, Chico, who turned 84 on Friday. He’s in the Leo Hall of Fame and played in college for Loyola. Her father, Rich, was a top player for Brother Rice, while uncles Tony and Jay were standouts at Mount Carmel.
“We all play pickup games with my cousins and uncles and it’s really fun,” Ellie said. “It’s been fun growing up in that environment.
“I grew up playing basketball with them, and my dad and grandpa and uncles really helped me develop my game and to get me where I am today.”
The 5-foot-7 junior guard has gleaned a lot of knowledge from the family over the years. In the offseason, her father helped her with driving inside to help complement her 3-point prowess.
Both of those abilities were on display Thursday night by Driscoll as Sandburg eked out a 50-49 SouthWest Suburban Conference victory over host Lincoln-Way Central in New Lenox.
Driscoll finished with a team-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers mixed in with some driving layups, to lead Sandburg (3-2, 1-0). Olivia Trunk tallied 13 points and six rebounds.
Abby Janociak added five rebounds and a pair of blocked shots for the Eagles. Senior forward Brooke Baechtold was on fire for the Knights (4-3, 0-2) with 24 points on eight 3-pointers.
While Lincoln-Way Central never led in the second half, Baechtold’s seventh 3-pointer with 36 seconds left and her eighth just 28 seconds later helped pull the Knights within one.
A desperation half-court shot at the buzzer by Kiya Newson-Cole, who ended up with 12 points, was off the mark for the Knights. It kept the final spotlight on Driscoll, who developed into a dangerous long-range shooter as a sophomore but wanted to expand her game.
“I am getting a guarded a lot more differently this year,” she said. “I’ve been guarded a lot closer, so I’ve learned some different moves to the basket. Over the summer, I worked a lot with my dad.”
“Defenses want to get to her because she’s a pretty good shooter,” Sandburg coach Nick Fotopoulos said. “She’s learning how to handle it and learning how to attack when she can. She is shifty and uses her body well.”
Driscoll missed three of her first four free throws in the fourth quarter but hit two huge freebies with 16 seconds left to put the Eagles up by four.
“I knew I had to make those free throws,” Driscoll said. “I took a step back and took a deep breath and just followed through and hoped for the best.”
Olivia Trunk, who scored four straight points in the fourth to give the Eagles a 46-32 lead, said she loves being teammates with Driscoll.
Trunk, her twin sister Zoe and Driscoll have played together since third grade.
“We have a lot of chemistry,” Olivia said of Driscoll. “It’s fun to play with your friends.”
Zoe, however, has not yet been a part of the equation this season. The junior point guard has missed five games with an illness but is expected to be back Monday.
“With who we played, I’ll take a 3-2 record without our point guard,” Fotopoulos said. “Makaleigh Terry, who is a freshman, has been able to learn on the job. That’s an awesome experience for her. She has a high ceiling.”
Fotopoulos said this was the first Sandburg win in Lincoln-Way Central’s gym in seven years.
And with Zoe Trunk coming back, Driscoll sees good things in store for the Eagles.
“Our goal is to win conference,” Driscoll said. “We definitely think we can do that. Without Zoe, it’s been a different world for us because we’ve played with her since third grade.
“But we adjusted to it, and this was a really good win for us.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
