Kyles returns, propels Larkin past Elgin
Marlee Kyles returned to the court for the Larkin girls basketball team Friday night and picked up right where she left off.
But equally important to the Royals is the way Kyles' teammates played when the standout senior was on the bench.
Kyles scored a game-high 23 points in her first action since missing five games with a concussion as Larkin defeated Elgin 59-27 in Upstate Eight River action at Elgin's Chesbrough Field House.
"I was definitely nervous coming out but I had some extra adrenaline tonight," said the Arizona recruit.
Larkin coach Steve Knapp limited Kyles' playing time, pulling her midway through the first three quarters and then playing her briefly in the fourth. She made 9 of 11 shots from the field and had 4 steals in just over 13 minutes on the court. She scored Larkin's first 7 points and had 9 in the first quarter as the Royals (10-12, 3-5) ran out to an 18-2 lead and never looked back.
Kyles now has 1,823 career points.
"That 2,000 is still in my view," she said.
As pleased as Knapp was to have Kyles back in the lineup, he was just as pleased with the way his team played with her not on the floor. Junior Haley Bohne added 10 points to the cause for the Royals while freshmen Brianna Young (6 points, 7 rebounds) and Aaliyah Dixon (7 points) continued to improve.
For the game, the Royals shot 25 of 49 and won the rebound battle 34-24. Their defense also helped Elgin (5-18, 0-8) commit 29 turnovers.
"That might be the best first half we've played all year," said Knapp, whose team led 38-8 at halftime and missed just one 2-point field goal attempt in the first 16 minutes. "Marlee starts us off like that, and then the rest of the team played well. Marlee makes things happen and gets easy baskets but it was nice to see Haley Bohne shooting more and the freshmen are becoming better players.
"We've practiced a lot without (Kyles) and they're starting to learn to play without her, and we're playing good basketball again."
"When I was out those five games it gave them some confidence and helped them as a team," added Kyles.
Kyles' presence was acknowledged by Elgin coach Dr. Nick Bumbales, but he too saw a different Larkin team without Kyles on the floor than the one his Maroons beat 40-34 last Saturday in the Elgin City Classic.
"She played well but their other kids took advantage of us," said Bumbales, whose team struggled shooting (9-for-41 from the field and 9 of 22 from the free-throw line).
"They had a lot more confidence with Marlee on the bench and they looked a lot more comfortable."
To the Maroons' credit they never stopped battling and played a much better second half. Sophomores Dajha Cooper and Kamiya Harvey had 6 points each to lead Elgin's scoring.
"We got out of our offensive scheme a little but the second half was much better," Bumbales said. "I was really happy with the effort. Cooper, (Ibiola) Quadri, Harvey ... with that group out there, they did a nice job for a while."