Boylan tops Hampshire
MACHESNEY PARK -- Hampshire's girls basketball team rolled along with Rockford Boylan for about 20 minutes Monday night, but then the wheels fell off.
The Titans broke open a close game with an 18-0 second-half run and coasted past the Whip-Purs, 58-31, in the semifinals of the Harlem Christmas Classic.
Hampshire trailed only 29-27 after a short jumper by Cassie Dumoulin. But a Devin Mack 3-pointer started the decisive run. Boylan scored the final 16 points of the third quarter.
Mack was the only player for either team in double figures with 19 points. She added 11 rebounds.
Chrissy Heine (9) and Mallory Koster (8) scored all of their points in the first half as Hampshire trailed just 23-21 at halftime.
Kelsey Watson came off the bench to score 6 points and grab a team-high 8 rebounds for the Whip-Purs.
"Kelsey Watson played fantastic today," said Hampshire coach Sue Ellett.
Hampshire (6-4) played well at times, but was done in by turnovers -- 26 to be exact.
"I'm not very happy with the amount of turnovers we're having," Ellett said. "That has not improved, and that is something I need to address somehow, some way.
"That's whats hurting us right now. Overall play, execution, rebounding, effort, all that's fine. But the turnovers are killing us."
The first half was a series of spurts. Hampshire took an early 7-2 lead as Heine scored 4 points and Koster drained a 3-pointer. Boylan answered with a 19-2 run to go up 21-9 on Deborah Hilby's 3-pointer.
Hampshire looked to be cooked at that point, but closed the half with a 12-2 run of its own. A conventional 3-point play by Heine and a putback by Watson got the run started.
A nice baseline drive by Heine and another Koster 3-pointer got the Whips within 2 at the break.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half before Boylan (7-5) broke it open. Hampshire scored just 10 points after the break.
Hampshire out-rebounded the Titans, 29-28. Koster grabbed 6 boards and Heine had 5.
The Whip-Purs play for third place today at 5 p.m. against host Harlem. Boylan takes on Rock Falls for the championship at 6:45 p.m.