HOOPING IT UP

Diederich Park in the village of Golf (pop. 514) does not feature a sign that reads PAIGE ENGELS DRIBBLED BASKETBALLS HERE, but it should.

Engels, a Golf resident who prefers aiming shots at rims with nets to clubbing shots at greens with flagsticks, honed her three-point shot at Diederich Park and helped the girls’ basketball team at Loyola Academy capture the Class 4A state championship in early March.

“It’s an awesome community,” Engels says of Golf, which is located a mile from Glenview. “One of my favorite times of year is when neighbors hold parties to celebrate the Fourth of July.”

The village of Wilmette, Loyola Academy’s home, had 38 legitimate reasons to stage a fireworks show (though it did not) on March 2. That was when Engels, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, and her teammates won their 38th game of the 2023-2024 season—against zero losses—in the last game of the season at CEFCU Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal.

The Ramblers’ 44-40 defeat of Nazareth Academy’s Roadrunners in the championship game marked the program’s third state title and first since Loyola Academy won its second straight Class AA championship in 1998.

“Our goal was to win state,” says Engels, who will major in Hotel Administration and continue her basketball career at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. “Going undefeated was the cherry on top. We all put the work in during the offseason, lifting and conditioning and working hard together in camps. It never felt like a chore. We found ways to win games, even on days when we weren’t clicking.”

Among teammates, Engels finished second in scoring (14.4 points per game) to junior guard Aubrey Galvan (16.4 ppg) and first in rebounds (5.7 per game) and assists (3.4 per game). In Loyola Academy’s 43-40 defeat of Fremd High School in a 4A state semifinal at CEFCU Arena on March 1, Engels produced a phenomenal set of statistics: 17 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and five steals.

That’s getting it done—at both ends of the court.

She followed that up with 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the state final the next day.

The Associated Press and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association each named Engels a First Team All- Stater.

But Engels, who experienced 97 victories in 108 games as a varsity Rambler since 2021, would be the first to tell you that Loyola Academy’s marvelous 2023-2024 season had more to do with the Ramblers’ dedicated coaches and the players’ unwavering resolve to compete as selfless hoopsters than it had to do with a certain senior’s splendid stats and her clutch efforts in big games.

“Our coaches were awesome and made sure we were well-prepared for each game,” Engels says, referring to head coach Jeremy Schoenecker (now 384-121 after 16 seasons at Loyola Academy) and assistant coaches Susan McGovern, Sean Batti, Jonathan Wolfe, and Gilbert Bailey. “We always knew what our opponent would try to throw at us. Our coaches set such a wonderful tone from the start of the season, reminded us of their expectations, and demanded that we play good, clean basketball at all times, even when we were up by a lot in the fourth quarter.”

Loyola Academy’s relentless, scrappy defense exhausted teams. Turnovers forced by the Ramblers often resulted in easy transition buckets and usually broke a foe’s collective soul. Opponents scored 29 or fewer points 11 times this past winter, with one tallying only 12 in a playoff game on February 12.

“We were fast and pretty small compared to many of the teams we played,” says Engels, who served as the squad’s co-captain with senior guard Kelsey Langston. “Our full-court pressure and constant hustle frustrated teams. So did our stamina. And our bench players always kept us energized.

“Some of our players’ moms,” she adds, “described us as ‘pests’ on defense.”

The third of parents Andy and Christina’s four children, Paige Engels began playing basketball in either kindergarten or the first grade. It was love at first bounce. Or maybe love at first swish. She played soccer, as a center-midfielder, until seventh grade and dabbled in flag football, volleyball, golf, tennis, swimming and lacrosse.

“A few dads ran weekend basketball clinics,” recalls Engels, whose dad, along with four uncles, graduated from Loyola Academy. “A ton of kids showed up, including many of my friends. I played the guard position then, and I’ve been one ever since.”

Engels earned a spot on Loyola Academy’s varsity her sophomore year and began developing her game with the AAU club Full Package around the same time. In her junior season, the Ramblers fell to Maine South High School’s Hawks in a Class 4A sectional final and avenged the loss with a 53-47 victory on Maine South’s home floor in Park Ridge February 22.

Four days later, Loyola Academy secured its Final Four berth with a 53-44 defeat of host Libertyville High School in a supersectional.

Loyola Academy led Fremd 28-25 after three quarters in its state semifinal against Fremd. Engels poured in seven of her team’s 15 points in the fourth frame, including four free throws in the final 48 seconds.

In the championship game, Loyola Academy trailed Nazareth Academy 27-15 at halftime.

“We were calm in the locker room at the break,” Engels says. “We had confidence and trusted all of our teammates. Coach Schoenecker told us, ‘Attack their zone more and put more pressure on defense.’”

Nazareth scored only two points in the third quarter to Loyola Academy’s 15. With her team up 43-40 in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, Engels hauled in a lengthy inbound pass from Galvan, got fouled, and stood at the free-throw line as the decibel level of cheers from the Ramblers’ fans turned players’ game faces into joyful faces.

Golf’s very own then drained a free throw to complete the scoring.

“That was the best feeling, being on the court at that moment and knowing the state championship was ours,” Engels says. “Our team was such a special one.

“Loyola Academy is such a great, wonderful school,” the state champion adds. “I couldn’t imagine a better place to attend high school. I’ve grown so much in four years at Loyola Academy.”