As a freshman, Olivia Cosme played on the varsity for Marist.
Then, as a sophomore, Cosme and coach Renee Chimino had a heart-to-heart talk. Both decided it would be better if the 5-foot-2 guard played for the sophomore team to get in more work.
In an era of transferring and finding a new home, it wasn’t an easy decision at the time.
“That’s tough for a kid, for sure,” Chimino said of the decision. “But she’s such a good kid and a good teammate and loves the people she’s playing with.
“Her and I had really good conversations at the time, and she knows why she was down there. She was learning how to be a leader and she was growing her confidence.”
Cosme, a junior, is back on varsity and that confidence was on display right away Tuesday for the RedHawks in a 68-31 win over Sandburg in the Class 4A Rich Township Sectional semifinals.
Cosme scored 13 points — all in the first half — in leading Marist (25-8) to the romp in Richton Park. Her cousin, Lucy, came up with 16 points and six rebounds off the bench. Grace Harmon added 12 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Olivia Trunk paced Sandburg (25-9) with nine points, while Monique Nkwogu had eight points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Olivia Cosme set the tone in the first minute. If there were any jitters for Marist, they were gone off the tip as Cosme hit a 3-pointer. On Sandburg’s first possession, she grabbed a steal that resulted in a basket.
There was more come as the RedHawks ended up with a whopping 10 3-pointers and 19 steals.
“I’m glad I was able to get easy steals and easy shots and we made our way to the sectional championship game,” Cosme said.
Speaking of that, Marist will face Lincoln-Way West (23-11) at 6 p.m. Thursday in the sectional final. The Warriors got past conference rival Lockport 49-48 in the other semifinal.
Molly Finn scored on a driving layup with two seconds left as Lincoln-Way West prevailed in the thriller. Caroline Smith, who led the way with 18 points, made four free throws in the final 1:41. Finn finished with 13 points despite being held scoreless in the first half.
Laura Arstikaitis led Lockport (28-5) with 13 points, including 11 in the first quarter. Lucy Hynes added 12 points.
Cosme’s spark, meanwhile, created a surprising blowout win over Sandburg.
“She takes control when we’re running our offense and calms us down,” Harmon said. “She’s our shooter, obviously. We look to her first for her shooting, but she is also great on defense.
“She’s very tenacious.”
Cosme comes from a basketball family that includes several cousins, including Cale Cosme, a Brother Rice product who now plays for Lewis. They grew up playing against each other.
“I played against boys when I was in second grade,” she said. “That definitely helped me because they are definitely more physical and mean. It helped me with some of the players I’m facing now.”
Her second go-around with the varsity also has been a success.
“When I was playing with the sophomores, I got a lot of playing time and I grew so much,” she said. “I’m here as a starter, and that’s amazing.”
Cosme said the key was a better work ethic.
“I saw myself with a different path,” she said. “I asked was going to work hard or work really, really hard. I decided to go that route. This was what was best for myself and the team in the future.
“I wasn’t really as ready for varsity as I am now. Playing on the sophomores made me the player I am.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
