Gambotz’s gambit: She passes, defends and scores for Mother McAuley. Grace Gambotz’s role? ‘That’s the important thing.’

When she gets going, Grace Gambotz can light it up for Mother McAuley.

But it’s the dirty work that generally makes the junior guard an MVP in the eyes of Mighty Macs coach Curtis Lewis.

“We usually rely on Grace to guard the best perimeter player on the other team,” Lewis said. “She also plays a lot of backup point for us as well. Even when she and Quinn (Arundel) are in the game together, she takes on a lot of the ballhandling responsibility.

“Grace has a really good skill set. For the team in general, the thing we’re trying to get to is where we have everybody playing on the same level so that they complement each other. Grace plays within her role really well.”

During the Grow the Game Tournament at Lyons, Gambotz landed in the spotlight not once but twice.

She was McAuley’s MVP with 13 points in a 54-45 loss to Norcross, Georgia, and repeated as MVP with 16 points in a 64-33 victory over T.F. North.

“Yeah … they were good games,” Gambotz said. “But I think it was more of a team performance thing than anything. I was just looking for my opportunities to score and help my teammates out with as many assists as I could.”

Gambotz is averaging 10 points and three assists for the Mighty Macs (12-6). It works for her.

“I mean, we have so many scorers on the team,” Gambotz said. “I don’t think it’s necessary for one person to have 30 or 20 a game. If we all have our fair share and get everyone involved, that’s the important thing.”

Back on track: After almost a month’s absence, Janae Kent’s return to the court for Oak Forest had a few hiccups.

The LSU commit missed some shots, especially early in the Jan. 3 game against conference rival Tinley Park.

But there was no time to pout.

“At this point, I’ve reached that age and level where it’s like a different mindset for me,” Kent said. “It’s not about how I missed shots and saying, ‘Oh, I stink.’ I’m like, ‘Keep shooting. Keep being locked in.’”

At the end of the day, she had 30 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and three assists as the Bengals won 58-42.

Not a bad way to celebrate her 18th birthday.

“It’s just good to be back,” Kent said, smiling. “While I was out, I tried my best to help us. I kept it in my mind, during every game and every practice, to keep the girls up, keep the energy up.”

Kent, a 6-foot-1 senior guard/forward, has been nursing a sore left ankle since early December. She was scheduled to return for Oak Forest’s Christmas trip to Tampa, Florida, but it was canceled due to weather concerns.

Instead, the new year brought a new start.

“Honestly, it wasn’t as bad because I knew that was the better time to sit out,” Kent said. “I knew I could come back for conference and took care of my body to be ready for the rest of the season.”

Rebound ready: The longest-standing girls basketball record at Andrew has been surpassed.

On Dec. 26, Mikayla Summey pulled down 27 rebounds during a 42-36 victory over Romeoville at the Sandburg Holiday Classic.

The 6-foot junior center broke the program record of 23 set by Beth Novak during the 1989-90 season.

Andrew coach Bobby Matz wasn’t as surprised Summey beat it as he was that it took so long.

“In the last 20 years, we’ve had some pretty good rebounders here,” Matz said. “We’ve had a good stretch of big girls, but that record was one that no one could get.”

Summey had 12 offensive and 15 defensive rebounds. She added 15 points.