Junior point guard Laurelei Thormeyer rarely comes off the court for St. Francis.
The Providence graduate, who can definitely shoot and score with regularity, leads the Saints in minutes played and always seems to have the ball in her hands when it matters.
“I wouldn’t say I’m more comfortable playing point guard, but I am more familiar with it,” she said. “I’ve gotten more into my shot, looking to shoot when I’m open and creating for my teammates.
“I know they’re going to get it back to me.”
Thormeyer got host St. Francis going Wednesday night, scoring 15 points and adding four assists in a 73-63 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory over St. Xavier in Joliet.
Le’lani Harris, a junior guard from Marist, hit two 3-pointers and scored a game-high 23 points for the Saints (13-3. 6-2).
Junior forward Ryann Ogarek, Thormeyer’s teammate at Providence, scored 10 points for St. Xavier (10-6, 6-2). Freshman guard Veronica Bafia, a Lockport product, also tallied 10 points.
Senior center Alyssa Crenshaw added 20 points and eight rebounds for the Cougars.
Thormeyer, however, scored seven points in the fourth quarter, including a crucial 3-pointer after St. Xavier pulled within two points. True to form, she also played a team-high 36 minutes.
“LT is a leader,” Harris said of Thormeyer, who also had two steals and a blocked shot Wednesday. “Even when we have adversity, like the run they had, she never gives up.
“She’s relentless in everything she does. She is 100% committed to her studies, the team and maintaining her relationships.”
The 5-foot-4 Thormeyer, who’s averaging 9.9 points, 3.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots, is a steady presence. She’s reliable and always under control.
“Laurelei is the hardest worker on our team,” St. Francis coach John McGinty said. “She’s in the gym constantly. She’s somebody I rely on to mend the locker room.
“We had injuries last year, and she was at the top of the conference in minutes played. It’s hard for me to take her off the floor. When she’s out there, she knows what I need for us to be successful.”
Thormeyer, who lives in Frankfort, played her first three years of high school basketball for Lincoln-Way East before she transferred to Providence heading into her senior year.
Her younger sister, Sophia, is a freshman softball player at UMass. Her younger brother, Gunnar, is a junior center for Providence’s football team and handles throws in track.
Competition is practically genealogical, an inherited trait she has taken to another level.
“We do come from a very athletic family, but that never took away the fact that work ethic is everything,” she said. “Everything I do, I put my entire soul into it, consistently staying in the gym.
“My sister, especially now that we’re closer in age, we pushed each other the whole summer.”
As a freshman for St. Francis, Thormeyer came off the bench and learned the game behind seven seniors. Then last winter, she started 25 out of 29 games, averaging 35.8 minutes.
She’s improved her individual statistics from last season in point, assists, rebounds and steals.
“I had to step up into a scoring role last year and now I’m just riding that wave,” Thormeyer said. “The speed of the college game definitely challenged me. I’m a little bit undersized, so I try to use my body in different ways and take advantage of my speed.”
With the ball in her hands, what she starts often comes back to her.
“I think facilitating is the best thing that I do because my teammates are involved,” Thormeyer said. “It’s such a fun part of the game, celebrating my teammates and their accomplishments.
“Once you do that, they also celebrate yours.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
