Galvan’s red-hot third quarter sends Loyola to elite eight

Aubrey Galvan is a tough interview.

The difficulty has nothing to do with her behavior. It’s just that when the star Loyola Academy guard puts on a show, which is a semi-regular occurrence, impressed fans line up to pay their respects.

It was one of those nights on Thursday, Feb. 27, at Glenbrook North, when Galvan’s scintillating 23-point third quarter turned a Maine South upset bid into a runaway Ramblers’ victory, 55-30, in the sectional championship.

Galvan had only four points and the Hawks had a lead when her outburst began midway through the third quarter. What came next was a four-minute barrage in which Galvan buried jump shot after jump shot, most coming off the dribble and in transition when the Hawks had little to no answer.

During the stretch, Galvan scored 20 straight points, finished 7-of-7 from the floor (6 three-pointers, and a long two) and added three made free throws — all before the quarter’s end to give her team a commanding 46-28 advantage heading to the final quarter.

Despite her frigid early shooting, Galvan said she knew she had to continue to fire, and in case she forgot, her supporters, including friends in the crowd, reminded her.

“I know my shot will fall. It’s just confidence honestly,” she said. “You can’t get down on yourself. You can’t focus on the negative. If you’re in your head, from experience, it never works out. So I just made sure to keep that positive mindset throughout the game. A couple of my coaches told me to keep shooting, my teammates told me to keep shooting, some of my best friends.”

Galvan finished with a game-high 27 points to deliver Loyola’s 27th win in a row following its 6-2 start to the season.

Thursday’s matchup was the fourth straight season Loyola and Maine South have met in the sectional championship. The Ramblers have now won three of the four encounters, including last season’s victory on the road to a state championship.

Loyola (33-2) advances to the IHSA Class 4A final eight and will play unbeaten Huntley (35-0) at 6 p.m. Monday, March 3, in the Warren Super-Sectional.

Galvan’s night adds to her legacy at Loyola and Illinois hoops in general. Just this season Galvan recorded her 2,000th point as a high-schooler (two seasons with Deerfield High School), her 1,000th point in just two seasons with the Ramblers, and set Loyola’s single-game point mark with a 41-point performance in the GCAC tournament championship.

Prior to Galvan’s heroics on Thursday, the Ramblers were hanging in the game despite their missed shots far outpacing their makes.

Loyola was down 10-8 after the first quarter, and up 19-17 at halftime.

Maine South retook the lead with methodical play early in the third quarter and was on top 28-26 midway through the quarter.

As Galvan stepped up, the Loyola defense did as well. The Ramblers forced seven Hawks’ turnovers in the third quarter, and many of those turnovers put the ball right back into Galvan’s hot hands.

“What happens too when you turn them over in the press, now they’re not matched up well,” Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker said. “Now they’re scattering to see where (Galvan’s) at. So we love to see if we can turn them over so they can’t locate her or maybe it’s the wrong person guarding her in that situation.”

The Ramblers’ supporting cast came up big in that respect. Junior Clare Weasler recorded at least 3 steals and a block to go with 6 points and 4 rebounds, while Marycait Mackie filed 7 points, 4 rebounds and several deflections.

Senior Emily Bronski chipped in at least 3 steals, including a big swipe, sprint and score in the third quarter. Sophomore Emily Naraky added 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block for the Ramblers.

Aside from Galvan and the defense, another changemaker for Loyola was the bench mob, according to Naraky.

When the Ramblers were struggling to get moving, Naraky said the Ramblers on the bench kept them believing.

“I think our chemistry and our encouragement really helped us win that game,” she said. “The crowd was amazing for us, and we have the best bench in Illinois. We have such a supportive bench and I think that’s what got us through this game.”

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