Burlington Central wins twice in tournament

There wasn't a lot of rest in between games Saturday for the Burlington Central girls basketball team.

Fifty minutes after beating Lakes, 52-31, the Rockets were back on the court facing Rockford Jefferson. The short break didn't stop the Rockets. They used a strong middle two quarters to top the J-Hawks, 50-40, to go 2-0 on the day at the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic at Woodstock.

"We rested well, better than the past," Central coach Stephanie Smith said. "We used our offense to rest so we could play better, aggressive defense."

The Rockets (8-4) finished second in Pool B with a 2-1 record and will play at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Woodstock against the second-place finisher of Pool D.

Central, already with a short bench, lost Katie McNutt early in the second quarter in its first game with a head injury and did not play the rest of the day. The Rockets played only six players against Rockford Jefferson.

Taylor Colby got off to a fast start for Central. The senior scored 7 points in the first quarter, but the Rockets trailed the J-Hawks, 14-12, heading into the second quarter. Jordan Maisto hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the second as the Rockets took a 25-21 lead into halftime.

Colby and Maisto combined for 14 points in the third quarter, when Central outscored Jefferson 17-7 to take a 42-28 advantage.

"We played hard. We played with a lot of heart," Maisto said. "We played together. It was good games."

Maisto finished with 20 points, including hitting five 3-pointers. Colby added 17 points and 11 rebounds. Brenda Thasavong had 7 points.

"Taylor had an amazing game," Maisto said. "She works so hard and you can see it when she's playing."

Against Lakes, Central used an 19-5 first quarter to earn the victory. Maisto scored 15 points, including hitting four 3-pointers. Ali Settanni added 14 points and Colby had 8.

Senior Christina Osuma led the Eagles with 7 points.

"We're inexperienced. We're getting there. We have a ways to go. They played hard," said Lakes coach Pete Schneider. "We're limited in numbers. We tired out. We came out and our inexperience showed early. Then we tired out at the end.

"We didn't turn the ball over as much, which was encouraging. (Smith) did a nice job of changing up some offenses."