Warriors turn away Lowery, Huntley

Huntley sophomore southpaw Katherine Lowery was feeling it like no tomorrow in the first half against Waubonsie Valley.

Lowery pumped in 22 points before the intermission of the Warhawk Thanksgiving girls basketball tournament Friday afternoon at West Aurora.

But the Red Raiders' upset bid unraveled after halftime as Waubonsie Valley allowed a mere 3 field goals, limiting Huntley to single digits after the break in winning its fifth game without a loss 56-41.

Lowery still finished with a career-high 24 points, but the sophomore could only manage a fourth-quarter baseline jumper for her sole points after the initial barrage.

"I didn't feel we had a very good defensive effort in the first half as a whole," Waubonsie Valley coach Kris Kalivas said.

The Warriors did not employ any gimmicks to slow Lowery in the second half; it was simply a matter of being more attuned.

"We made them a little more aware of where (Lowery) was on the floor," Kalivas said.

Jessica Morice and Rachel Bostick carried the day for the Warriors to turn back the resolute Red Raiders (2-1). Morice had 11 of her team-high 19 points, including 9 in the fourth quarter, after halftime, and Bostick added 14 points and 10 rebounds from her center position.

"We focused more on an on-ball defense and a commitment to it," Morice said.

"Once we played well defensively, it brought up our game offensively." Carly Goede and Allyson Stellmach were the only Huntley players other Lowery to score from the field in the second half. The two were the Raiders' second-leading scorers on the day, but they only totaled 4 points apiece.

But in the first half, at least, it appeared as though Lowery may have lifted the entire team on her back. Lowery hit her final 3 shots of the first quarter to score 12 of the Raiders' 16 points, and her leaping leaner off the glass with seven seconds to go before halftime gave Huntley a 32-31 lead at the break.

"I was getting some good looks, and my teammates were doing a good job of getting me the ball," Lowery said. "We started having troubles with our offense a little bit. Shots just weren't falling."

Waubonsie Valley closed out the scoring with a 19-4 clip.

"You have to put together four solid quarters to beat a team like that," Huntley coach Steve Raethz said.