PARK RIDGE — If Haley Greer hadn’t already ingratiated herself to her New Trier girls basketball teammates, she likely did so Friday in the Trevians’ 58-42 Central Suburban South win over Maine South.
A transfer from Deerfield, the junior point guard single-handedly kept the Trevians from sinking into too big of a hole by scoring all seven of the team’s points in the first quarter and the first 10 of the game. Greer even assisted on New Trier’s next points.
After junior guard Alison Borsotti’s basket on Greer’s first assist, New Trier still trailed the Hawks 17-12.
“She’s a smart kid, smart player,” New Trier coach Teri Rodgers said of Greer. “She sees what is there and takes what is given to her. She knew she was open, and she knew we needed something.”
The 5-10 Greer finished with a game-best 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting, adding five assists and two steals for the Trevians (8-0, 3-0).
“Some days your shots go, some days they don’t,” Greer said. “[Friday] was good for me, and my teammates were able to get me the ball.”
Through eight games, Greer is averaging 12.9 points, which is second on the team behind junior center Jeannie Boehm’s 14.5. Greer leads the team in assists (4.8) and steals (2.9).
On Friday, she executed several high-level plays, including a no-look bounce pass through the lane in the first quarter and a layup on a spin move in traffic during the third.
“It comes with practice, I guess,” said Greer, whose father, Andy Greer, is an assistant coach on the Chicago Bulls. “The coaches allow me to experiment, and my teammates are OK with it, even if I make a bad pass once in a while. It’s really trial and error.”
After Greer came to New Trier in the summer, she said playing time wasn’t guaranteed to her. She instead deferred to veterans like senior forward Rachel West, senior guard Jackie Welch, junior forward Kathryn Pedi and Boehm.
“I knew I had to earn my position on this team,” she said. “To me, it was an easy fit because it’s such a competitive team.”
Greer proved herself and has been in the starting lineup all season. Rodgers said she has been impressed with how Greer has handled the transition to a new team.
“She was a great observer at first and willing to take a backseat,” Rodgers said. “She has been willing to learn from others. Now, you’re seeing what she can do.
“She’s been great for us.”
Maine South notes
• The Hawks (5-5, 1-2) scored 17 points in a row in the first quarter to take a 17-3 lead. They carried a 22-21 lead into the half, but the Trevians were too much for the youthful Hawks to handle in the final two quarters. Maine South, which only has two seniors on the roster, was outscored 24-10 in the third.
• Junior forward Julia Spuria led the Hawks with 14 points. Sophomore forward Olivia Latreille had nine points and junior guard Riley Eckhart added six points.