Mother McAuley’s Quinn Arundel chased down a ball that was swiftly heading out of bounds.
The senior guard caught up with it without much room to spare and jumped in the air, twisting and then swatting the ball off a defender right behind her as the Mighty Macs kept possession.
It came during a key moment in the fourth quarter Tuesday night.
“I ran as fast as I could,” Arundel said of the acrobatic play. “It was a big moment. I knew there was someone behind me and I was hoping I could throw it at her.”
Arundel helped McAuley throw host Providence for a loop with that defensive play along with scoring 16 points for the Mighty Macs in a 61-50 GCAC Red victory in New Lenox.
Senior guard Delia Sullivan also scored 16 points for McAuley (14-4, 4-0). She hit three 3-pointers in the second quarter. Taji Alexa added nine points, seven steals and four rebounds.
Pepperdine-bound Landrie Callahan led Providence (18-3, 2-2) with 15 points and eight rebounds. Taylor Healy scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half. Layken Callahan had 12 points.
Arundel’s save with 1:31 left in the game, meanwhile, came right after the Celtics had whittled the lead to down eight and thwarted momentum for a potential last-minute run.
Sullivan, for one, wasn’t surprised by Arundel coming through in the clutch for the Mighty Macs.
“Those are the types of plays Quinn makes in practice and in games,” Sullivan said. “She’s always ready for it.”
“That’s a winning play,” McAuley coach Curtis Lewis said. “She never has cared about any statistical categories. She is just willing to win the game. If I said, ‘Hey, Quinn, run into the wall,’ she would do it.”
There are other intangibles Arundel brings to the team that Lewis appreciates.
“Her joy for the game is contagious,” Lewis said. “The way she plays and how hard she plays is also contagious. You can see it on the court that the girls want to play with her and they want to play as hard as her.”
Arundel’s speed gets a lot of attention, whether it’s chasing down a loose ball like she did against Providence or racing down the court after a steal.
Where did she get that speed?
“I played soccer and did a lot of running around outside,” she said.
Oh, about her soccer career.
Arundel played that sport until sixth grade and gave it up to concentrate on basketball.
But she picked it back up again as a junior at McAuley and didn’t show any rust, scoring 25 goals. She confirmed that after this basketball season, she will play soccer again as a senior.
She probably could land at a college for either sport, but Arundel is giving up sports when she graduates. She’s planning on majoring in nursing in college, eyeing Marquette as a possible destination. Ditto for Sullivan, who may also major in nursing at Marquette.
This season will mark the end of an era for the Mighty Macs as Arundel, Sullivan, Emily Kovar and Olivia Brown have played together since fourth grade.
Those four and Calli Edwards played together with the Junior Astros, coached by Lewis, out of Crestwood. Edwards, who is concentrating on soccer, is along for a final ride in basketball as the team manager.
When Lewis became the Mighty Mac’s head coach, all five decided to attend McAuley.
“We all grew up playing basketball for coach Lewis,” Arundel said. “It’s all been so special because we’ve all been playing together. He’s been our coach for most of our lives.
“It’s a good way for me to end my career.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
