When T.F. South’s Brie Hawthorne grew up playing basketball with her father and brothers, things got pretty physical.
She hit the concrete on more than one occasion, suffering some scrapes and cuts along the way. Unlike organized basketball, the game doesn’t stop for blood when the Hawthornes play.
“Sometimes, I got hurt and they would be like, ‘You’ll be OK,’’’ Brie said. “Eventually I would get up and start playing again.
“It’s just tough love, really.”
The 5-foot-1 junior guard continues show that toughness. She scored all 11 of her points in the first half Friday night to spark the host Red Wolves to a 73-19 win over Richards in a South Suburban Conference crossover in Lansing.
Hawthorne opened both the first and second quarters by draining 3-pointers, helping to set the tone for the biggest scoring output of the season by T.F. South (16-2, 4-0 SSC Blue).
Asia Haynes led the Red Wolves (16-2, 4-0) with 13 points, adding five rebounds and four steals. Hawthorne and G’yah Capers each ended up with 11 points, followed by Gigi Dillon and Sharmaine Averhart with 10 points apiece. Dillon also had 10 rebounds and five steals,
Zofia Kuzmiuk paced Richards (7-8, 2-2 SSC Red) with five points.
It’s the 11th time this season the Red Wolves have held an opponent under 25 points.
“Early on, we like to get stops on defense and then turn it up after that and not put on the brakes.” Hawthorne said. “Our game starts with defense.”
“I like how we play aggressive defense,” Haynes said. “Defense is our main thing, and when we all play aggressive on defense, the offense comes to us really easy.”
Hawthorne has been a big part of that defense, rattling opposing offenses with regularity.
“Defensively, she gets after it,” T.F South coach Eric Bryce said of Hawthorne. “She’s not afraid to get in people’s faces. She’ll get knocked down.
“Playing on the bottom of that 1-3-1 is not easy. She does a lot of running back and forth, and there are times when she is stuck having to rebound over there.”
Last season, Hawthorne averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals. She has been taking another step this winter.
“She has confidence in her leadership and 3-point shooting,” Bryce said of Hawthorne. “Last year, she was hesitant to shoot the three. She’s more confident with that this year.
“She’s a lot more confident in herself. When you are on a team with juniors and seniors and you are a sophomore, it’s a hard task. Now that she is a junior, she’s a lot more comfortable.”
Haynes likes the way Hawthorne helps run the offense.
“She’s good with the pace of the game,” Haynes said of Hawthorne. “She controls the game and makes sure everyone gets involved. And she is really good on defense.”
Hawthorne, meanwhile, loves the challenge the sport provides.
“It is something I do for fun, but it’s a sport where I know I can get better,” she said. “I love playing against real competition and people who are better than me. I want to step up to the challenge.”
As far as her size, every game presents a challenge but it hasn’t stopped her from succeeding.
“I use my speed as an advantage,” she said. “Even though I’m a small player, my actions are very big. There is always going to be a bigger player against me.
“But I try to show them other things that they might not have — different aspects.”
Since Bryce brought Hawthorne up to varsity in the middle of her freshman season, he hasn’t seen a lack of size hinder her.
“She makes up for in height with her fearlessness,” Bryce said. “And ability to lead the team.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
