Every now and then, senior guard Olivia Prodoehl pauses to reflect on how big of a role the Sandburg girls basketball program has played in her growing-up process.
Since age 4, Prodoehl has played the sport that she will be giving up after this season. She wants to concentrate on academics at Missouri, hoping to become a high school teacher and coach.
Her goal is to teach social studies. The history lesson here? As she enters the final weeks of her playing career, Prodoehl looks to lead the Eagles on a postseason run to remember.
“I’m taking it all in,” Prodoehl said. “It’s been amazing — one of my most fun seasons ever. We have a great group of girls and we all get along together. We play hard.
“I’ve been around this (Sandburg) gym since I was 8 or 9. It’s special.”
Prodoehl produced a special third quarter Saturday, converting two key free throws and then sinking the go-ahead 3-pointer for the host Eagles in a 54-41 nonconference win over Oak Lawn.
After star junior point guard Zoe Trunk left the game with 3:51 left in the third quarter with a left ankle injury, Prodoehl came in and made the two free throws for Trunk to cut the deficit to two.
Monique Nkwogu scored 15 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds for Sandburg (23-7). Olivia Trunk added nine points. Abby Janociak had seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
Lamia Quinones led Oak Lawn (18-10) with 11 points and three assists. Bianca Fleitas scored 10 points.
The turning point, however, emerged with three seconds left in the third quarter when Prodoehl hit a huge 3-pointer for the Eagles, who have won seven straight while going 20-2 since Dec. 16.
“She’s like our Swiss Army knife,” Sandburg coach Nick Fotopoulos said of Prodoehl. “She does a little bit of everything, so she doesn’t give us a ton of scoring, but when we get into situations where we need that big shot, she makes it. Lately, she has been on fire.
“She’s one of the best defenders on our team. Overall, she’s just a great kid.”
Nkwogu admires Prodoehl’s skills as well as her positive attitude.
“She’s been great with the threes, and she’s really a good free-throw shooter,” Nwkogu said. “She and Olivia Trunk are two of the best on our team and free throws are really important, especially when you are close.
“I think she also plays with a lot of passion and heart. Even if were down by a lot, she’s still telling everyone to not give up and making sure that it’s not over until it’s actually over. I feel like that motivates everyone to play harder.”
The gym went silent Saturday when Zoe Truck came out of the game with the injury. She did not return, but Sandburg still rallied for the victory.
It’s the most wins for the Eagles since going 24-8 mark in the 2014-2015 season.
“After Zoe left the game, we wanted to pick each other up and do what we do best,” Prodoehl said. “Having that three helped get up momentum in the fourth.”
Trunk had a noticeable limp after the game, but Fotopoulos said he’s crossing his fingers it won’t turn out to be serious.
“It’s a sprain and she should be OK,” he said. “I was told if it was a situation where we were playing for a regional championship, they could have taped her up and she could have played.
“We have to be smart and have her ready to go for playoffs.”
That’s the next stage too for Prodoehl, who credited her mother, Kristyn, for getting her involved in the sport. She introduced Olivia to basketball and coached her and several teammates in AAU.
“She helped me with my fundamentals and confidence in my game,” Olivia said of her mother. “She’s always here to support me. She’s my biggest role model.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.