Lake Park's Thorne a nonstop
thorn in the side of opponents
By Ken Keenan
As far as Emma Thorne is concerned, "stop" may as well be a word from an ancient, long-forgotten language. It's simply not part of the Lake Park junior's vocabulary.
Prior to preparing for the still-on-hold 2020 spring soccer season, the 6-foot-tall Thorne completed her third campaign as a member of the Lancers' girls basketball team. A starting forward, she barely came off the court while helping the squad reach the Final Four of the IHSA Class 4A tournament.
After plowing through the postseason en route to regional, sectional and supersectional titles, Lake Park fell by a 46-34 count to eventual Class 4A champion Fremd in the state semifinals on March 6 at Illinois State University. A day later, the Lancers' outstanding season (26-10 overall) came to an end with a 63-57 loss to Bolingbrook in the third place tilt.
Thorne -- an all-DuKane Conference selection -- averaged five points, seven rebounds and two steals per contest in 2019-20. She also clocked in with an average of 29 minutes (out of 32) played in each of the team's 36 games. Lake Park girls hoops head coach Brian Rupp said Thorne played all 32 minutes in 13 of those battles.
"Emma, she's our Dennis Rodman," said Rupp, noting that Thorne had 10 games with at least 10 rebounds. "She's a gamer, willing to do all the little things that translate into wins. She loves to battle. She is fearless. She'll be all over the place, creating turnovers, diving for loose balls. She's always in the play -- never takes a play off."
In Rupp's view, Thorne was the perfect complement to superstar senior guard Darrione Rogers, recently ranked by ESPN as the no. 51 prep prospect in the nation. Rogers, who averaged 26 points and nine rebounds this season, will take her talents to DePaul University upon graduation.
"With Darrione and Emma, it was a nice connection as individuals and as a team," Rupp said. "But we don't go to 'state' without Emma. She's our best defender, our second-leading rebounder (behind Rogers), and our leader in minutes on the floor ... more time on the floor than anybody else. She only knows one speed, and that's 'Go!' all the time."
Thorne said that after the Lancers "hit a little rough patch" midway through the season (a 4-4 stretch following a 10-2 start), the team, "got back to working hard and playing for each other. Then once the playoffs arrived, we had everybody executing their roles."
In addition to the ever-productive Rogers, Thorne pointed to the contributions of sophomore point guard Sara Balli, freshman forward Ellie Helm and freshman guard Gabi Burgess as being key to Lake Park's postseason run.
"Other teams tried to limit Darrione, but the other three girls, they really stepped up," Thorne said. "My contribution, it's not necessarily in points. I get a lot of rebounds, so someone called me 'Rodman.' But defense is always my thing, even in soccer."
Rupp said Thorne's leadership ability also played a big role in the team's success.
"You look at our sectional final against Dundee-Crown, 4,000 people, and then televised state games, those are big moments," Rupp said. "But with Emma, when the lights get too bright, she can calm people down. She puts a lot of time and effort into her leadership."
Thorne said, "As far as being a leader, it was really cool to be a leader with Darrione -- helping the younger players, keeping up morale, keeping everybody together. We all make mistakes, but we're doing this as a team. You play for each other. You can't win by yourself."
And Thorne is no fan of seeing her team finish a game on the short end of the final score.
"I don't like to lose," she said. "So I find myself saying, 'This is my last game,' every single game. Leave everything on the court, no regrets."
It's all part of Thorne's modus operandi, linked to her seeming disregard for the proverbial stop sign.
"I've gotten mentally stronger from being in sports, so pushing my body, I want to see how far I can go," she said. "In practices, too. I will run faster and go until I can't. I love being on the court, on the field. I've worked on my stamina a lot, so I know I'm capable of playing a whole game. How I can make a difference is to always keep moving."
Lake Park girls soccer skipper Sean Crosby said Thorne parallels that approach on the pitch.
"On the basketball court, Emma is constant movement, a grinder," Crosby said. "She's a strong defender who never quits on a play, always hustles. Plus, her movement on offense, setting screens, getting in and out of space, creating space for teammates. Her movement on the soccer field is similar -- just nonstop. With the ball or without the ball, she defends and hustles."
Added Crosby: "She's got a competitive mindset. She pushes herself, and teammates see that. That never-say-die mentality lends itself to wanting to win -- and hating to lose even more. Other players seeing that (in basketball) helps with our team, too."
Thorne certainly was hoping to bring elements of the basketball team's success story to the soccer team, but the COVID-19 pandemic has prohibited play from getting underway.
"It shows what you can accomplish when you work together," she said. "You win, and then you want more. Even one loss in basketball, we went out and practiced even harder. Having that mentality is something you can bring to soccer."
Added Thorne: "You want to be there on the soccer field. We love each other so much, and we're so excited about this year's team. Especially the seniors, you hope they get that last game, that last hug or cry at the end of the season. It's sad I might not get that with these girls. That will hurt more than having the season and saying goodbye."
At least Thorne will return for her own senior season, following another go-round on the hardwood, of course.
"I'm glad we had the (state basketball) experience this year," she said. "An unforgettable team, being able to do that. Basketball or soccer, I just love being able to work hard for my teammates. Work ethic is so important. Just keep working."
thorn in the side of opponents
By Ken Keenan
As far as Emma Thorne is concerned, "stop" may as well be a word from an ancient, long-forgotten language. It's simply not part of the Lake Park junior's vocabulary.
Prior to preparing for the still-on-hold 2020 spring soccer season, the 6-foot-tall Thorne completed her third campaign as a member of the Lancers' girls basketball team. A starting forward, she barely came off the court while helping the squad reach the Final Four of the IHSA Class 4A tournament.
After plowing through the postseason en route to regional, sectional and supersectional titles, Lake Park fell by a 46-34 count to eventual Class 4A champion Fremd in the state semifinals on March 6 at Illinois State University. A day later, the Lancers' outstanding season (26-10 overall) came to an end with a 63-57 loss to Bolingbrook in the third place tilt.
Thorne -- an all-DuKane Conference selection -- averaged five points, seven rebounds and two steals per contest in 2019-20. She also clocked in with an average of 29 minutes (out of 32) played in each of the team's 36 games. Lake Park girls hoops head coach Brian Rupp said Thorne played all 32 minutes in 13 of those battles.
"Emma, she's our Dennis Rodman," said Rupp, noting that Thorne had 10 games with at least 10 rebounds. "She's a gamer, willing to do all the little things that translate into wins. She loves to battle. She is fearless. She'll be all over the place, creating turnovers, diving for loose balls. She's always in the play -- never takes a play off."
In Rupp's view, Thorne was the perfect complement to superstar senior guard Darrione Rogers, recently ranked by ESPN as the no. 51 prep prospect in the nation. Rogers, who averaged 26 points and nine rebounds this season, will take her talents to DePaul University upon graduation.
"With Darrione and Emma, it was a nice connection as individuals and as a team," Rupp said. "But we don't go to 'state' without Emma. She's our best defender, our second-leading rebounder (behind Rogers), and our leader in minutes on the floor ... more time on the floor than anybody else. She only knows one speed, and that's 'Go!' all the time."
Thorne said that after the Lancers "hit a little rough patch" midway through the season (a 4-4 stretch following a 10-2 start), the team, "got back to working hard and playing for each other. Then once the playoffs arrived, we had everybody executing their roles."
In addition to the ever-productive Rogers, Thorne pointed to the contributions of sophomore point guard Sara Balli, freshman forward Ellie Helm and freshman guard Gabi Burgess as being key to Lake Park's postseason run.
"Other teams tried to limit Darrione, but the other three girls, they really stepped up," Thorne said. "My contribution, it's not necessarily in points. I get a lot of rebounds, so someone called me 'Rodman.' But defense is always my thing, even in soccer."
Rupp said Thorne's leadership ability also played a big role in the team's success.
"You look at our sectional final against Dundee-Crown, 4,000 people, and then televised state games, those are big moments," Rupp said. "But with Emma, when the lights get too bright, she can calm people down. She puts a lot of time and effort into her leadership."
Thorne said, "As far as being a leader, it was really cool to be a leader with Darrione -- helping the younger players, keeping up morale, keeping everybody together. We all make mistakes, but we're doing this as a team. You play for each other. You can't win by yourself."
And Thorne is no fan of seeing her team finish a game on the short end of the final score.
"I don't like to lose," she said. "So I find myself saying, 'This is my last game,' every single game. Leave everything on the court, no regrets."
It's all part of Thorne's modus operandi, linked to her seeming disregard for the proverbial stop sign.
"I've gotten mentally stronger from being in sports, so pushing my body, I want to see how far I can go," she said. "In practices, too. I will run faster and go until I can't. I love being on the court, on the field. I've worked on my stamina a lot, so I know I'm capable of playing a whole game. How I can make a difference is to always keep moving."
Lake Park girls soccer skipper Sean Crosby said Thorne parallels that approach on the pitch.
"On the basketball court, Emma is constant movement, a grinder," Crosby said. "She's a strong defender who never quits on a play, always hustles. Plus, her movement on offense, setting screens, getting in and out of space, creating space for teammates. Her movement on the soccer field is similar -- just nonstop. With the ball or without the ball, she defends and hustles."
Added Crosby: "She's got a competitive mindset. She pushes herself, and teammates see that. That never-say-die mentality lends itself to wanting to win -- and hating to lose even more. Other players seeing that (in basketball) helps with our team, too."
Thorne certainly was hoping to bring elements of the basketball team's success story to the soccer team, but the COVID-19 pandemic has prohibited play from getting underway.
"It shows what you can accomplish when you work together," she said. "You win, and then you want more. Even one loss in basketball, we went out and practiced even harder. Having that mentality is something you can bring to soccer."
Added Thorne: "You want to be there on the soccer field. We love each other so much, and we're so excited about this year's team. Especially the seniors, you hope they get that last game, that last hug or cry at the end of the season. It's sad I might not get that with these girls. That will hurt more than having the season and saying goodbye."
At least Thorne will return for her own senior season, following another go-round on the hardwood, of course.
"I'm glad we had the (state basketball) experience this year," she said. "An unforgettable team, being able to do that. Basketball or soccer, I just love being able to work hard for my teammates. Work ethic is so important. Just keep working."