DePaul Prep falls to Providence 66-60

The DePaul Prep Rams girls’ varsity fell 66-60 to GCAC rival powerhouse Providence Catholic (22-3, 5-2) on Tuesday. These are two of the top girls teams in the area. The Rams are ranked No. 9 in Kyle Williams Super 25 in the Sun-Times. Providence is ranked No. 12.

The Rams fell behind 9-0 to open the contest but battled all the way take a 31-29 lead at the close of the second quarter on Ava Giordano’s three-point.

This was very high level basketball. It was a back-and-forth affair. I wish I had the bandwidth to properly cover the GCAC. Providence has these two sisters, Layken Callahan and Landrie Callahan who made life very tough on the Rams.  

Even so, the game was tied at 56 with 2:44 left. The Celtics edged that Rams in the final minute holding off the Rams’ comeback.

The Rams historic regular season continues with Simeon on Saturday and then the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference tournament next week where the Rams have a change to avenge their defeats at the hands of other very high quality GCAC teams. It appears that both Friday’s home game against Taft and Saturday’s game against Simeon will not go ahead because of the cold. The DePaul Prep athletic director is working to reschedule the senior night game.

It’s been fun watching this senior starting group, Ava Giordano, Grace Lee, Kaitlin Totaro and Lucia Trautman, along with the addition of sophomore standout Ramiyah Puckett grow into an elite squad among the best in the state. They rival their counterparts on the boys team in that respect. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the work off the bench put in by sophomore Grace Poleski, seniors Kaitlin Reap and Vivian Lightfoot, and junior Caley Wood.

The Rams host a regional in the 4A Maine South Sectional. The seeds will not be announced until about 4 pm on Thursday, February 5th so will don’t know who they will face. Based on the assignments, the Rams are likely to be a 2 or 3 seed in the sectional.

DePaul Prep Defeats Bolingbrook 49-20 at Chicago Elite Classic

The DePaul Prep Rams girls’ basketball team is 10-0. I feel bad I have not covered more of their games and showcases the start of this historic season.

I did get out to Chicago Elite Classic to see the Rams hand Bolingbrook their only loss of the season so far. Returning starters Ava Giordano, Grace Lee and Kaitlin Totaro are joined by senior Lucia Trautman and sophomore Ramiyah Puckett.   

I was impressed. Despite an uncharacteristically large number of turnovers in the first quarter of the game, this group pulled it together and rallied for a 23-18 first half lead.

The DePaul Prep Rams girls’ varsity has had considerable success in recent years particularly under former head coach Sarah Zarymbski (Gordon Tech 2014) with 2020, 2022 and 2023 appearances in a 2A super-sectionals. Last year was the first year of current Rams’ head coach Corey Morgan. The Rams finished with a respectable 20-14 record and a loss to in a 3A sectional final to eventual champion Montini.

The Rams gaudy 10-0 record this year includes a recent victories over Trinity and Bloom.

Back to the Bolingbrook game. Bolingbrook grabbed a 32-31 lead with 18 seconds left in the third. The Rams put together an impressive 18-8 run in the fourth quarter to salt away a nice win on a big stage against a 4A powerhouse.

I really liked an inbounds play were senior point guard Ava Giordano passed the ball inbounds to senior forward Grace Lee. Lee immediately dished it back to Giordano who drove to the basketball for a bucket. It actually worked twice to seal the win late in the fourth.

“We have nine seniors who understand what DePaul is all about. They have seen the boys have a tremendous amount of success. They are buying into what we are saying and teaching. They are just trying to jump on that train,” said DePaul Prep Rams’ head coach Corey Morgan.

Senior Ava Giordano, point guard since her sophomore year, who can also shoot the three, spoke after the game, “I want to make a great run this year. I think we can do that with my teammates.”

Stay tuned. I sure will.

DePaul Prep Rams 72, Jones Eagles 41 to Open the Season

The high school basketball season opened this evening with the DePaul Prep Rams women’s basketball team beating up on the Jones College Prep Eagles 72-41. As games go, it was quick, an hour and twelve minutes. The running clock in fourth quarter helped but the game seemed closer than the final score.

I wasn’t able to give the game full treatment. This was a last minute addition to the schedule. I didn’t keep stats or do any interviews.

Nevertheless, I got a look at this year’s Rams. Coach Sarah Zarymbski has three sectional champions in her four years at the helm of the women’s varsity team, except there was no IHSA playoffs in the COVID year. So three sectional victories in three tries. This group has a lot to live up to. And by the looks of tonight’s game, they seem up to the task.

The two new starters, Miliah Wood and Grace Lee, will fit right in as starters. Returning seniors Charlotte Collins, fresh off a successful volleyball season, London Walker-George and Casey Galloway return and round out the starting line up.

Coach Zarymbski played the whole bench today too and there didn’t seem to be much let down. The Rams played well in all phases but only lead by ten at the half.

The Rams blew the game wide open in the third quarter with defense and scoring in transition. They pushed the lead to thirty points at the start of the fourth quarter causing a running clock in the fourth quarter and speedy conclusion to the first game.

It’s going to be a fun season. With the boys team receiving a pre-season 13th rank in the Sun-Times Super 25 rankings, DePaul Prep students, faculty, parents and supporters should be treated to some high quality basketball in what may or may not be the final year in the Tom Winiecki Gym.

Stay tuned. March will be here before one knows it.