Ask Shepard’s Emma Greene if she’s a history buff, and you’ll get a noncommittal response.
Well, sort of. The senior forward is a pretty big fan of sports history, especially the kind that she and her teammates made Thursday night.
For the first time in program history — a span of 47 years — the Astros are a conference champion in girls basketball.
“All the teams’ hard work from like 30 years ago has helped us get to this moment,” Greene said, beaming afterward. “We set the standard.”
Shepard definitely wouldn’t be denied, beating Evergreen Park 57-38 to earn a share of the South Suburban Red title with Oak Lawn, which beat Tinley Park 56-32.
Along with a pair of rebounds and assists, Greene walked off the court for the Astros (18-9, 11-2) with 12 points and three steals. Sophomore guard Jessica Manley scored 18 points, while junior guard Brianna Spain added 13.
Evergreen Park (15-14, 6-6) received 10 points from senior guard Cassidy McMullin. Sophomore forward Grace Kole chipped in with six points and seven rebounds.
But it was Greene whom Shepard coach Rick Gamino gushed about after the game.
“She’s our post defender, and all year, she’s been locking down big posts down there,” Gamino said. “She’s grinding, she’s getting bruised and she’s getting banged around.
“She fights, fights, fights and understands our defense. I can’t be prouder of the work she puts in.”
Greene fought tooth and nail with down low with Kole and junior forward Kyziah Lewis to prevent the inbound pass while also getting into position tor a rebound.
Want some some more history? Let’s go back two years, when Greene was a sophomore and her sister, Kelly, was a senior.
The interaction they had on and off the court that season set another standard for Greene in the category of leadership.
“She is the definition of a leader,” Emma said of Kelly. “She’s built me into the person who I am, with words of encouragement constantly. Day in and day out, she’d get hard on me when I needed to fix things.”
Ask her about what she learned from her sister, who plays softball at Green Bay, and it’s a holistic answer — starting with patience and including the validation of teammate success.
“Sometimes, they make mistakes or may not see things I see and I want to just encourage them,:” she said. “When we’re on the same level and we’re all happy and all together, I think that makes for a really good team.”
Her teammates appreciate that, especially Manley, who confirmed she isn’t a history buff, either.
“She’s an amazing leader,” Manley said of Greene. “Some of the stuff she says to get all of us out of our heads, it really helps a lot. She teaches.”
Spain, also not into history, spoke similarly after climbing a ladder to help cut down the net afterward. She and Greene played AAU for the past six seasons with the Palos Panthers.
“After every game, I get a text from her saying great job,” Spain said with a laugh. “Even when I have a bad game, she’s always reminding me to shoot more.”
The plan after high school for Greene, meanwhile, is to play college basketball. She’s not committed yet but has a couple of offers. She’s still surveying the landscape.
What does she want to study? Business accounting, as it turns out, a subject that’s about as far away from history as can be.
Gamino believes Greene’s future is bright and very might well put her into another history book.
“It’s remarkable to see where she started to where she’s at now,” he said. “I’m excited to see where she plays basketball at. Whatever school she ends up at is going to be lucky.”
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
