Rapid rewards: SIU Edwardsville-bound Ava Gugliuzza scores in bunches for Lincoln-Way West. The key? ‘You’re in rhythm.’

Guarding Lincoln-Way West senior Ava Gugliuzza is no easy task.

She’s quick.

Blocking her shot is even more difficult. When she gets the ball, she shoots in the blink of an eye.

Just call her rapid-release Ava.

“My dad, when I was younger, was always my coach and taking me shooting,” Gugliuzza said. “He said, ‘You’ve got to have a quick shot.’

“With those, you might not even be open that much, but having that quick release makes it easier. You’re in rhythm. It’s not like you’re stopping, hesitating and shooting. You just get it, shoot it, and hopefully it’ll go in.”

The SIU Edwardsville recruit was quick on her release Tuesday night, ending up with some rapid results in a 63-29 SouthWest Suburban Red win over host Andrew in Tinley Park.

Gugliuzza and Peyton Madl scored 15 points apiece for Lincoln-Way West (14-4, 2-0). Chyne Lewis added 14 points, while Caroline Smith contributed five points and seven rebounds.

Skye Echols paced Andrew (9-10, 0-2) with eight points and 11 rebounds. Mikayla Summey added five points and six rebounds.

Gugliuzza’s instant impact was felt in a matter of seconds near the end of the first half.

The Warriors held a 24-17 lead when she swished a 3-pointer. On the Andrew inbounds play, she made a steal just outside the arc.

Rapid-release Ava struck again, nailing another three.

“I think it was just a sense of urgency that we’ve been working on as a team,” Gugliuzza said. “It gets our energy going. I think that’s where those shots came in.”

Gugliuzza, a 5-foot-6 guard, is averaging 21 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals this season.

Her reputation as a prolific 3-point shooter sometimes overshadows her defense. But her defensive abilities aren’t lost on Madl, who sees it every day at practice.

“Ava always pushes me,” Madl said. “When I’m dribbling, she always has the toughest defense on me. She has really improved my dribbling, bringing the ball up the court.”

To say nothing of being a role model on offense. Madl not only matched Gugliuzza in points against Andrew, she had five 3-pointers.

“Ava is always hot — every game,” Madl said. “She always has the perfect shot. I just look up to that and try to always be on. I always try to practice as hard as she would, every day if she could.”

Gugliuzza is the third of four sisters. Taylor and Tara were both standouts at Lincoln-Way West and are playing in college at Lewis. A fourth sister, Tory, is still in grammar school.

Taylor is the all-time leading scorer in program history with 2,273 points. Ava is second with 1,629 and counting. Tara finished with 1,460 points.

For Ava, it could be much more.

“We played 16 games in the COVID year,” Lincoln-Way West coach Ryan White said. “And we lost two games last season because teams had to bail out. So I came up with 18 games that cost her. At 20-plus points per game, you can do the math. At the same time, I feel bad for Tara because she lost a year as well.

“For Ava, I feel like she can come close to 2,000, which is kind of one of those milestone numbers. And she’ll probably wind up just a little bit short.”

Ava isn’t bothered by that at all.

“I’m really not,” Gugliuzza said. “If it’s not me, I’m glad it’s my sister. I’ll be close, but I don’t think I’m going to pass her. I’m perfectly fine with that.”

During her freshman season, Ava was a starter alongside Taylor and Tara as the Warriors finished second in Class 4A.

Only Ava can bookend her career with a return trip to state.

“That’d be great,” Ava said, smiling. “I think we have a chance to go far this year, too. We’re playing really well.”