Galvan’s record-breaking performance gives Ramblers their revenge

Aubrey Galvan saw the Wolfpack coming. She said she tries to elevate her game for top-level competition.

But neither she nor St. Ignatius could see what would happen on Saturday afternoon.

Loyola Academy’s star senior guard elevated to historic heights in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference tournament championship, scoring a team record 41 points to catalyze a 73-61 Ramblers’ victory on Feb. 8 at Trinity High School in River Forest.

“You just got to play the game and know when your team needs it, when you need to keep that lead,” said Galvan, a Vanderbilt commit. “It’s just knowing when to shoot the shot.”

Speaking of Galvan’s shot, a special performance seemed inevitable right from the get-go.

Galvan buried a step-back three-pointer to kick off the scoring, and a must-see spectacle was underway.

Her 18-point first quarter came from just eight shots. She buried three threes, three two-point field goals and three free throws.

Most importantly, Galvan sparked her team’s 7-0 run that turned a 14-13 disadvantage into a 21-14 lead that the Ramblers (29-2) never relinquished.

Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker said the team ran high pick-and-rolls for Galvan, who took advantage of space created as Wolfpack defenders switched off the screens.

“She just had one of those nights where everything is going through the hoop,” Schoenecker said. “I’m sure if you asked her the rim looked a lot bigger than what it is. When she has those kinds of nights, it’s super fun to watch.” 

St. Ignatius defenders began to cover Galvan the length of the court, denying her the ball as best they could and then doubling her as much as possible.

While Galvan’s scoring slowed (6 points in the second quarter, 5 in the third), her teammates picked up the slack. Nora Emerson hit two threes, Marycait Mackie had 5 points in the second quarter and Clare Weasler finished with 10 points.

The Wolfpack wouldn’t allow the Ramblers to coast to victory, however. The GCAC regular-season champs, who bested Loyola earlier in the season, fought back into the game in the third quarter and trimmed their deficit to single digits multiple times in the second half.

Enter Galvan once again.

The senior buried three more triples in the final quarter (She actually drained a fourth, a spectacular step-back attempt, but it was erased after a Loyola offense foul on the possession) to keep St. Ignatius an arm’s length away.

About finding shot opportunities when she’s the focus of defenders, Galvan said, “I just play my game. I have faith in myself and my team has faith in me and trust in me.”

When the Wolfpack clawed back into the game, Schoenecker actually empowered his other talents. He said he told Mackie and Weasler that with the defense glued to Galvan, they needed to come through.

Mission accomplished. Down the stretch, Mackie hit a tough runner in the lane and Weasler drained a clutch three-pointer.

“The other guys have to step up in those situations, and they did,” Schoenecker said.

Galvan was stuck at 38 points with about two minutes to play before converting three free-throw attempts to eclipse the 40-point barrier and cinch her team’s GCAC tourney title.

As she hit the free throw to make 40, the Ramblers bench and fans erupted in celebration.

Galvan, who is approaching 2,000 points as a high-schooler (two years at Deerfield, two years at Loyola), found out following the game that she broke the school’s record, which was previously 39 points set in the 1990s, according to Schoenecker.

“It’s a big accomplishment,” Galvan said. “Loyola is such a great sports school as well. It definitely means a lot with my team behind me too. It’s definitely exciting.”

Loyola is on a 23-game winning streak since a 49-43 Dec. 13 loss in the first matchup with St. Ignatius.

The Ramblers, the defending IHSA Class 4A champions, earned the No. 1 seed in the 4A New Trier Sectional and begin a quest for a second straight state title on Monday, Feb. 17, in the Evanston Regional.

“We feel we’re in a really good spot,” Schoenecker said. “We told them, ‘regional first, then worry about the sectional.’ We look at it as a four-team pod. But we have (time) to prepare and get our minds ready and everyone healthy.”

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