The Patch Athlete of the Week is...

Providence Catholic's Alex Shermulis, who outpolled five other south suburban athletes to get this week's honor.

Girls basketball star Alex Shermulis of Providence Catholic outpolled five others in balloting for Patch Athlete of the Week honors. She got 63 percent of the vote. Shermulis is now eligible for December Patch Athlete of the Month recognition. The nominees for Southland Patch Athlete of the Week, Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, were: LaTondra Brooks, girls basketball, Oak Lawn: Brooks scored 34 points in a 69-50 win over Morton. Jon Calhoun, boys basketball, Tinley Park: Calhoun scored 20 points and grabbed two rebounds in a 58-56 win over Oak Lawn. His last-second layup was the game-winner for the Titans. Cory Chojnowski, wrestling, Andrew: Chojnowski won the heavyweight championship at the Stagg Invitational. He also led the T-Bolts to a second-place…

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Girls Basketball: Providence D Stifles LWC

Providence Catholic 53, Lincoln-Way Central 32. Celtics Alex Shermulis and Cassidy Glenn outscored the Knights in a great defensive performance.

The Skinny: Lincoln-Way Central looked sharp early, up 19-16 in the second quarter against Providence Catholic. But junior Alex Shermulis tied it with a 3-pointer and the Celtics wouldn't trail again, winning 53-32. They switched to a zone defense late in the first half and smothered the Knights to force a lot of turnovers and fast break scores. Patch’s MVP: Senior Cassidy Glenn went on a tear in the second half with her quick hands on defense leading to nine third-quarter points (15 for the game). She packed the stat sheet and in one sequence got a steal, went coast-to-coast for the score, then forced another steal and got the pass for another bucket Key Stats: On an unofficial count, the Knights had at least 10 turnovers. Central shot …

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Girls Basketball: Shermulis Shines in Providence Victory

Alex Shermulis scored 14 points and totaled four assists in Providence's 60-33 girls basketball victory over Queen of Peace on Wednesday night.

Griffins' Scrappy Defense Stifles Celtics

Lincoln-Way East's Taylor Johnson scores 12 points and makes five steals and teammate Caitlin McMahon tallies 12 points and 11 rebounds against Providence Catholic.

It's been said by coaches, commentators and players that defense wins games — and championships. Lincoln-Way East seems to take that theory to heart. The Griffins' hard work on defense Saturday was key in a 47-42 victory over visiting Providence Catholic. Griffins junior guard Taylor Johnson was one of the defensive stars, as she stole five passes in a game that saw players diving for loose balls throughout. "I took as many opportunities as I could to make a steal," Johnson said. "This will give us confidence to win every game we can. Then maybe we could start a streak." Johnson and junior forward Caitlin McMahon both scored 12 points, and McMahon grabbed 11 rebounds for the Griffins (5-1).  "We didn't shoot extremely well," Griffins head …

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