Group effort helps Hampshire clinch FVC Fox Division tie

When Prairie Ridge was determined to shut down Emma Benoit, plenty of others stepped up for Hampshire.

Nikki Dumoulin and Rachel Dumoulin scored 12 points apiece, Peyton DeChant added 11 and Claudia Lazar chipped in 9 as the Whip-Purs clinched at least a share of the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division girls basketball championship by defeating the Wolves 52-35 in Hampshire Friday.

The Whips (20-5, 10-1) lead the Fox by 1 game with only Woodstock remaining on the conference slate at Hampshire on Tuesday. It's the Whips' first 20-win season and conference championship since the 2010-11 team went 27-3 and also won a regional title.

On a night when Benoit was honored before the game for scoring her 1,000th career point on Wednesday, she added only 3 more to her total. The Wolves blanketed her with multiple defenders if she even looked at the ball. But that didn't slow Hampshire, which had plenty of other options.

"We knew right away that they were going to be guarding Emma really hard," said Rachel Dumoulin. "Once they doubled down on her, we always had a girl open."

Hampshire led 14-12 midway through the second quarter but finished the half on a 13-3 run, with Lazar scoring the last 6 points on a 3-point shot and a conventional 3-point play.

"We played really hard defense, and we knew we had to take care of the ball on offense," Lazar said. "And that's what kept us up."

Benoit didn't score until the fourth quarter, making a layup after a nice feed from Rachel Dumoulin and later adding a free throw. She also had 6 rebounds.

"They had a nice game plan," said Hampshire coach Mike Featherly, whose team won its ninth straight. "They had 3 on her at one point and we had other girls step up. It was nice to see. Rachel's really come on in scoring. She's playing with a ton of confidence right now. I'm just so proud of the girls and the effort they gave. It's awesome, from where we were at the start of the season, the way we're playing."

Prairie Ridge opened the second half with 4 straight points to get within 27-19, but Hampshire answered with a 7-0 run to restore its double-digit lead.

DeChant grabbed 7 boards as Hampshire outrebounded the visitors 27-23.

Hampshire can claim the crown outright by beating Woodstock.

"That would mean the world to me, especially since it's my senior year," said Lazar. "We're all so excited."

Kirsten Voel-Pel led Prairie Ridge, now 9-2 in the division, with 14 points.