2 NCAA Division I recruits put on star show in battle of ranked NUIC teams
Whitney Sullivan grabbed her 1,000th career rebound.
It didn’t help much, since she missed the ensuing shot.
So she grabbed number 1,001.
Then 1,002.
And then she finally scored, three rebounds later. Whitney Sullivan never quits. Good thing, because neither does Paityn London, and No. 2-ranked Orangeville needed all of Sullivan’s heroics to pull out a 58-54 NUIC North girls basketball victory Friday over Freeport Aquin in front of a packed home gym.
More: Could this be the greatest freshman basketball player the Rockford area has ever seen?
“Those girls have worked their tails off,” Orangeville coach Jay Doyle said after the Broncos improved to 23-1 (8-0 NUIC North). . “People should pay and come and watch them play. They are that good of players. There is a game-changer for each team. They put a ton of work in. You see them working all summer. They deserve everything they get.”
No. 8-ranked Aquin (15-5, 4-2, with both losses to Orangeville) is driven by London, the first area freshman to ever be offered an NCAA Division I basketball scholarship before her first game. London scored 17 of Aquin’s first 20 points and assisted on the other three, but Orangeville led 27-23 at halftime.
Sullivan, who also has more than 1,300 career points, was the main reason why.
“She’s definitely improved from each year and this year she has really stepped up,” Aquin coach Josh Glawe said.
Sullivan finished with 30 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. The 6-foot-3 Tulsa recruit also made a trio of 3-pointers, showing the skills that will make her a Division I wing player.
More: Big Northern's best takes on a NIC-10 power and other top basketball games to watch
“Where she was as a freshman to where she is now is crazy,” Doyle said. “She’s worked for everything she’s gotten. She deserves everything she gets. And she’s a hell of a teammate, too. She’s always about team, team, team.”
That was what was going through Sullivan’s mind as she hit 1,000 career rebounds.
“I knew I had to go in and get those rebounds,” Sullivan said, “but I was thinking I don’t care if I get these (1,000) rebounds today or tomorrow. All I wanted was to win this game.”
Nadalee Doyle, the coach’s daughter, was a big part of the win, scoring 17 points and making five 3-pointers. Orangeville finished with 11 on the night.
“We fall in love sometimes with the 3, but we hit some big ones there in the fourth quarter,” coach Doyle said. “That was good to see.”
The game seemed over with 90 seconds remaining and Orangeville ahead by 11. London, at the time, had not scored in over 13 minutes. But with time running out, the freshman guard made two quick baskets inside, then an NBA-length 3-pointer with nine seconds left and another 3 with two seconds left to pull Aquin within 57-54.
“That was really quick,” Sullivan said. “I wasn’t expecting those 3s. That was a surprise.”
All part of the fun on a night when the two brightest stars in Rockford girls basketball shined bright.
“It was fun,” Aquin’s Glawe said. “They are both very talented and they made just humungous plays.”
It was almost too much fun for the coach who said people should be paying to watch these girls play.
“I am glad there wasn’t any more time,” Doyle said. “I did not have to watch her (London) play anymore. She is something.”
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: No. 2 Orangeville vs. No. 8 Aquin lives up to girls basketball hype
