Burlington Central rolls over Marengo

Burlington Central’s offense looked a bit rusty coming out of Christmas break, but the defense looked plenty sharp. The Rockets forced 33 turnovers and held Marengo to 6 first-half points in posting a 46-21 win Friday night.

Central knocked the rust off the offense in the second half as Alison Colby scored 10 of her game-high 14 points in the Big Northern East matchup in Burlington.

“We gave them some days off around Christmas and some days off around New Years,” said Central coach Mark Smith. “So we looked a little sluggish, but I thought we played much better in the second half.”

Colby also grabbed 7 rebounds. Shelby Holt added 12 points, and Camille Dela Cruz had 7 points and 4 assists for the Rockets (14-2, 4-0).

Burlington led 20-6 at halftime, holding the Indians to a single field goal and forcing 20 turnovers.

“We pick up defense really quickly,” said Kayla Ross, who helped lead the defensive effort. “We run our press and get through it.”

Still, the Rockets’ offensive struggles helped keep Marengo in the game.

“I was getting a little nervous,” Ross said. “I don’t like close games.”

Colby and Holt helped take care of that in the second half. After a brief run by Marengo got the Indians within 35-21 early in the fourth quarter, the Rockets scored the game’s final 11 points.

A breakaway layup by Ross and a pair of baskets by Colby quickly made it 43-21.

All 10 Central players saw extensive action and 7 scored. Samantha Pryor scored 5 points and Ross finished with 4.

Lynsey Hoeske led Marengo with 7 points.

The Rockets got out of the blocks quickly, scoring the game’s first 11 points. A 3-pointer by Holt capped the opening run, which also saw Dela Cruz score 5 points. Central continued to pull away in the second quarter, extending the lead to 15-2 and 20-4.