SouthtownStar’s three things to know

1. Losing can help. Whether dropping two games during the final week of the season will do that for Lincoln-Way West during the Class 3A playoffs remains to be seen. But last year the Warriors may have been a little too overconfident when they were upset by Tinley Park in a sectional semifinal. It shouldn’t happen this time after a bit of a wakeup call from Marist and Providence.

2. It’s the memories that will last. Terri Dearth’s grand slam and Mount Assisi’s dramatic comeback that fell just short in Saturday’s Class 2A regional title game loss to Chicago Christian provided quite an impressive final chapter to a sports year that also saw the school’s basketball team go further than any in school history.

3. So what’s a sophomore jinx? Oak Forest’s Taylor Sterkowitz played “Can You Top This?” with authority during a regular season in which she hit .463, with six doubles, 14 home runs and 49 RBI. She did it while being pitched around (18 walks). The home run total was double her achievement as a freshman (7).