South Elgin downs West Aurora for 7th straight win
While the first quarter ended on a high note for host West Aurora, the second quarter belonged to South Elgin and ultimately so did Friday's Upstate Eight Valley Division girls basketball game.
The visiting Storm outscored West by 18 heading into halftime and then it was all a matter of maintaining double-digit leads en route to a 79-67 triumph.
The outcome produced some ironic results in terms of records as South Elgin picked up a seventh straight win to improve to 14-5 overall but only 2-2 in loop play. For West Aurora, it was the first conference loss in four outings, however, a fifth defeat in the last six games leveled the season ledger at 8-8.
Holding for a last shot, West Aurora's Kiyanna Rodgers drained a left side 3-pointer to give the Blackhawks a 26-25 lead. Unfortunately for the hosts, it turned out to be their only lead of the night.
The Storm opened the second quarter with Nadia Yang's drive down the lane, a Bridgette Williams basket and an old-fashioned three-point play from Emmy McIntosh for a 32-26 edge. West got back to within 2 when South followed with a pair of 7-0 runs sandwiched around a 5-4 span before creating a 53-36 halftime.
Jasmin Duncan came off the bench to spark the Storm accounting for her 6 points during the final 1:13 of the second quarter, demonstrating the kind of balance that had coach Dan Mandernack thrilled with the win.
"Yes it got a little ugly with some silly turnovers, fouls and times when they got three or four rebounds on us, but at the end of the day we're 14-5 and 2-2," Mandernack said.
"Those runs were definitely big," Yang agreed. "Once we got the momentum going in our favor we got into a better flow. This win gets us back into the conference flow and hopefully serves as a statement as we get ready to face Bartlett (next Friday)."
Yang finished with 10 points as did Teagen Pompa with all five Storm starters posting twin-figure totals. Williams' game-high 19 was backed up by 16 from McIntosh and 14 from Mackie Kelleher.
"Conference road wins are huge in my book and when it comes to baskets, I'll take them anyway I can," Williams said after a display of hustle from end to end. "As a track athlete, I don't mind running and it often helps me make up for the times I may lack size against an opponent. The real key though is that we're a defensive team. We focus on that knowing that good defense builds opportunities on offense."
Mandernack gave an extra pat on the back in that respect to Yang.
"Scouting them, we knew 12 (Carley Frauenhoff) can really shoot 3s; Nadia wanted that assignment," Mandernack noted. "As a four-year starter she stuck with her and I believe kept her from scoring one quarter."
Technically, West Aurora had the better of the visitors in the third (12-8) and fourth (19-18) quarters, but that wasn't enough.
"We outrebounded them, had fewer turnovers, more assists, a good free throw percentage, just about everything we wanted but the final score," West Aurora coach Connie Siljendahl said. "They just shot lights out in that second quarter, it seemed like they never missed.
"Our defense has been pretty good, but in that span we were a bit slow or slacked off just a touch. Ashley (Williams) had a really good game, one of her best offensively. SaMya (Hunt) and Kiyanna played hard as did Kayla (Battle), but it just wasn't enough tonight," Siljendahl said.
Williams led the Blackhawks with 17 while Rodgers and Battle added 13 and 10, respectively.
Both teams were minus notable players with West's Teryn Griffin sidelined by a concussion while South starter Kennedy Wells is out three to four weeks due to a broken right hand.