Harper nets sweep of Oakton

In a slow-paced first half, Harper freshman Anna Kirchoff (Barrington) scored 4 points en route to helping the Hawks (8-5) take a 23-18 halftime lead over visiting Oakton in women's basketball on Tuesday night.

After the break, Kirchoff erupted for 10 of her 14 points, including 7 of Harper's first 9 as the Hawks earned a 51-41 nonconference victory.

"We told her (Kirchoff) at half that she was taking too many jumpers. I thought in the second half she attacked the basket," said Harper coach Mark Smith.

Sophomore guard Peggie Parhas (Lake Zurich) had a team-high 25 points and 4 steals for Harper.

"My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball," Parhas said.

Noreen Davis (Conant) chipped in 7 points and had a team-high 12 rebounds to go with 4 steals.

Betsy Bailey (Palatine) did not play; she is battling mononucleosis.

• In the men's basketball game, it was clear from the beginning that it would be an unusual evening as Oakton was assessed a pregame technical foul for dunking.

Sophomore Brandon Bolger (Schaumburg) calmly stepped to the line to make the technical free throws before tipoff. He went on to finish with a game-high 23 points as the Hawks defeated Oakton 84-66 at the Sports and Wellness Center.

After the very physical game, a bloody-mouthed Bolger said, "tonight we played as a team."

Seldom-used freshman Avery Roche got the start when myriad Hawks players missed the game due to unspecified reasons.

He took full advantage, posting a double-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

"On the offensive end they (the guards) kept feeding me the ball," Roche said. Of his success on the boards, Roche said, "I just tried my hardest to get the rebound."

The Hawks were 23-for-30 from the free throw line. Harper (6-7) scored 13 of its final 15 points from the foul line.