Wrap: Larkin, Elgin fall; Bartlett wins again
You pass it to me and I'll pass it to you.
That seemed to be the game plan for the Waubonsie Valley girls basketball team Thursday night against Larkin. Even though coach Kris Kalivas reminded some of her players to not be too unselfish, the Warriors piled up assist after assist in knocking off the visiting Royals 76-37.
Senior guard Jessica Morice led all scorers with 17 points in the game, but she spent more time dishing off in the second half after tallying 14 of her points in the first two quarters. Morice was one of four Warriors to score in double figures, and she was also one of eight players to record at least 1 assist.
On Thursday a short-handed Larkin squad (1-10, 1-2) could not contain unbeaten Waubonsie Valley (12-0, 4-0) on either end of the floor in this Upstate Eight Conference contest in Aurora. The Warriors forced 10 turnovers in the first quarter, but Larkin managed to hang around down 22-16 thanks to 8 points from Alyssa Burns, who dropped in a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter.
But 10 more giveaways in the second quarter coupled with a 15-of-33 shooting effort by Waubonsie in the half left the Royals trailing 41-23 at the break. Matters got worse for the visitors after the Warriors blitzed them with a 25-8 surge in the third quarter. Guard Lauren Brownridge tallied 9 of her 15 points in the third quarter.
"We had a couple players out tonight, and I thought that made a little difference, but Waubonsie is a great team," Royals coach Amy Silverman said. "They're strong at every position. And we're a young team, but the kids played hard."
Burns led the way for the Royals with 11 points and 3 assists, while 6-foot sophomore center Stacie Beaver came off the bench to contribute 8 points and 5 rebounds.
Girls basketball
St. Charles North 73, Elgin 17: On the last school day before a 17-day holiday break, St. Charles North's Kiley Hackbarth was admittedly pumped up prior to Thursday night's game against Elgin.
The 5-foot, 6-inch sophomore guard ignited her team early, scoring 7 of her game-high 13 points in the opening quarter as the North Stars built a 19-2 advantage.
From there, the North Stars (8-2, 4-0) extended their halftime lead to 33-6 and eventually cruised to a 73-17 Upstate Eight Conference victory over the visiting Maroons (0-12, 0-4).
"I thought our adrenaline really was going," said Hackbarth. "We did really well tonight."
That may have been the understatement of the night, as the North Stars scored the game's first 17 points and led 9-0 before the Maroons attempted a shot.
Senior guard Nika Sircher collected 5 of her season-high 9 steals in the first quarter, while the North Stars forced 12 turnovers and had 11 steals in the first 8 minutes of play.
"They're always in the passing lanes," Elgin coach Angie Hudson said of the North Stars. "They did a great job of creating turnovers (35)."
Midway through the second quarter, St. Charles North led 26-2. Anna Conrad's (10 points) 3-pointer fueled a 9-0 surge in the early stages of the third quarter to make it 42-6, allowing North Stars coach Katie Sauber to rest her five starters.
Junior center Kelsey Smith was the third North Star to reach double figures with 11 points.
Giselle Bruskewitz scored 5 points for Elgin, which played its first game this season without the services of junior center Ellen Holton (reconstructive jaw surgery).
"The games will go on and we'll have to find a way to play without her," said Hudson.
-- Craig Bruekse
Bartlett 44, East Aurora 38: Bartlett (4-8, 1-3) earned its first Upstate Eight Conference win against East Aurora. Jacki Gulczynski led the way for the Hawks with 15 points while teammate Becca Cronin scored 10.
Kirkland 51, Westminster Christian 35: Westminster Christian (0-9) was led by Sarah Rodgers, who scored a team-high 11 points in this nonconference loss. Hannah Graves added 10 points for the Warriors.
Women's basketball
Central State 71, Judson 45: Shooting just 22 percent in the first half put Judson (3-9) behind 32-1, at the half as Central State (6-5) went on for a win over the Eagles in Ohio. Judson had 27 turnovers that turned into 20 points for CSU.
Devonaye Henderson was the only Eagle in double figures as she scored 11 points.