Defense and rebounding are the name of the game for Reavis’ Ella Frixen.

The senior guard can also make some noise on offense, however, which is something Chicago Christian coach Karl Frixen — her dad — found out the hard way.

“She’s always been a gritty player, works hard,” Karl said of his younger daughter. “Her jump shot has improved, but she’s never been interested in being the leading scorer.”

That changed a little bit on Nov. 16 in the Reavis Thanksgiving Tournament. The Rams beat the Knights 53-18, with Ella Frixen producing an offensive spurt in the third quarter.

Of course, it came at her dad’s expense.

According to Reavis coach Tim Zasada, Frixen had a “flurry” — a roughly two-minute span where she hit a 3-pointer, turned a steal into a layup, got fouled and sank the free throw.

It forced her father to call a timeout for the Knights to talk it over.

“I’m a defensive player, so when I score, it’s big for me,” Ella said. “It made me more into the game when I’m scoring points. It’s fun.”

Ella Frixen started playing basketball in fifth grade and naturally attended a lot of games her dad was coaching. The family lives in Stickney, which feeds into Reavis.

In 2018, Karl became Chicago Christian’s head coach.

Interestingly, Karl had never coached against Ella, but a few years ago, he did coach against her older sister, Kylie. Chicago Christian won that game.

He was obviously aware Ella was beginning to come into her own as a player during middle school. Zasada confirmed Frixen has improved all aspects of her game at Reavis.

That includes being as a team leader, especially as a senior.

“I think with her being able to do a number of things, that’s another thing she’s able to do,” Zasada said. “She takes practice seriously.

“A good teammate isn’t only a good leader. She jells with everybody, and when we get to the bench, she’s rooting for her teammates.”

Last summer, when the Reavis-Chicago Christian game was scheduled, everyone in the Frixen family was excited about the prospect of a faceoff between father and daughter.

As the game neared, mom Renee designed T-shirts for family and friends that said “A House Divided” on the front and “We Cheer for Karl and No. 5, Ella Frixen” on the back.

Ella knows a ton about Chicago Christian’s players — and is friends with many — due to travel ball and summer camps. It made game preparation an interesting proposition.

“It’s weird doing your game plan and saying, ‘No. 5 likes to do this and this,’” Karl said, referring to his daughter’s number. “You want your players to know what she does well.

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“She knows the kind of stuff I like to do as a coach.”

Ella, who plans to study elementary education in college, said she was reticent about telling her own team too much about who Chicago Christian’s top players are.

She did say she and her dad gave each other a little insight on their respective teams, although not enough to really matter come game time.

Perhaps the moral of this story is family members can compete but come away smiling, which is to say the Frixens have no hard feelings.

“We just kind of let it go,” Karl said. “They kicked our butts pretty good and I think she did all her talking out on the floor.”

“It was a good memory and something to carry on for me,” Ella said. “Especially since we won.”

Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.