Glenbard South denies Batavia's comeback
Batavia hit the wall at the most inopportune time.
The Bulldogs' girls basketball team scratched and clawed to get back into its game against Glenbard South at home Friday night in Western Sun Conference action.
Seven consecutive Raiders' misses from the field to start the third quarter gave Batavia life, and Liz Barnes' 3-pointer with two minutes and change reduced the Raiders' once-comfortable double-digit lead to three.
But Glenbard South was not about to waste its superlative play up to that point.
Patrice Hicks' consecutive field goals stopped the hemorrhaging, and Sarah Englehardt scored the Raiders' third field goal over the last 52 seconds of the third quarter to stretch the lead back to nine.
Englehardt and reserve Danielle Chitkowski then closed out the Bulldogs in the final quarter, combining for 18 points to frame the Raiders' 61-47 victory in Batavia.
"Mentally, nine points (the lead) at the end of the third quarter is much different than three," said Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker. "I figured that was pretty key."
Sara Fruendt gave Batavia (4-3, 1-3) its last lead of the game when she connected on a 3-pointer midway through the first quarter.
Nevena Markovic proceeded to make a lasting impression on the Bulldogs.
The Serbian immigrant had her imprints all over the court Friday night. The 6-foot-4 sophomore post scored 6 consecutive points as part of a quarter-closing 13-2 run.
Reaching double figures by the end of the quarter, Markovic scored a mere point after the first quarter. But her overall presence was immeasurable for the Raiders. Markovic had a game-high 12 rebounds and blocked 6 Batavia shots to augment her 11 points.
"I just wanted to help my team win the game," said Markovic. "The coach (Julie Fonda) said I needed to start off strong (offensively), and that's what I did. We stayed focused and patient in our offense."
"(Markovic) is one of the best players in the conference," said DeBruycker. "She is able to go inside and outside."
Glenbard South (6-3, 3-1) stretched its first-half advantage to as many as 14 points before settling for a 32-22 lead at the break.
Even with an 8-for-36 performance from the field in the opening half, however, Batavia made its run in the third quarter.
Freshman point guard Sami Villarreal (11 points) and Barnes (team-high 12) keyed its counterattack, and four-year starter Fruendt, who finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds, displayed her overall steadying influence.
Englehardt, who scored and game-high 14 points, and Chitkowski - all 10 points in the fourth - terrorized the Bulldogs' passing lanes for easy scores down the stretch.
"The speed helped a lot," said Englehardt, a track and field sprint-relay state champion. "We tightened up our defense and bothered them more."
Hicks became the sixth total player in double digits with 13 points for Glenbard South.