For Bison, show goes on

It's hard not to notice the talent on Buffalo Grove's girls basketball team -- after all, Northwestern and Loyola have.

In fact, with three Division I players starting, the Bison are a showcase of basketball skills, and Wednesday's show was a 64-37 Mid-Suburban crossover win over visiting Hoffman Estates.

Loyola-bound Ellen Ayoub led BG (6-0) with 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Twin teammates Maggie Mocchi (12 points) and Allison Mocchi (6) are off to Northwestern next fall.

"It makes me look pretty smart," said BG coach Tom Dineen of his stars. "I just sit there and watch them play. The things they do are so creative. They're very team-oriented and great kids. It's fun to watch them play. It's been a joy for four years."

Those three have been varsity starters for their entire career at Buffalo Grove.

"Hopefully, we're people that the young kids can look up to and learn what it's about," said Ayoub. "There's always new challenges every season."

The Bison established themselves early and ran out to a 22-9 lead after the first quarter.

"I thought (the game) was good," Ayoub said. "I thought we improved on some things we've been trying to work on. We could still definitely get better. It's early."

Heather Nisbet added 9 for the Bison while Katie Lee scored 6 off the bench.

"It's early in the season and we're experimenting with a few things here and there personnel wise," Dineen said. "We're getting better. Tonight we made some good progress. A lot of kids got to play and did a good job for us."

For Hoffman coach Mike Nocella, an abrupt end to his season's undefeated start wasn't exactly a surprise. As Prospect's coach in previous seasons, he's had every opportunity to watch BG's talent develop.

"I don't think (we) gave up," Nocella said. "I think they did get taken back on their feet. Being 5-0 was new to them and I'm not sure they realized how good Buffalo Grove was. I've seen (BG) for the last four years.

"It was a very polished team playing a team that's young and learning."

But the Hawks (5-1) have their own weapon in junior guard Megan Fischer, who scored a game-high 22 points. In fact, Fischer was solely responsible for 13 of Hoffman's first 14 points.

"We didn't really turn on our offense until the end," Nocella said. "By then, the horses were out of the barn."

Freshman Jada Stott scored 6 in the fourth quarter off the bench for the Hawks while Megan Bernardoni added 5.