Jessica Prince, Warren shoot down Lake Forest
Warren sophomore Jessica Prince and her older sister, senior Aleisha Prince, brought in Nerf guns Wednesday as part of the Blue Devils' Secret Santa.
About 10 minutes after the girls basketball game with Lake Forest in the Blue Devil Classic came to an end, the Prince sisters and their teammates ambushed unsuspecting coach John Stanczykiewicz.
"We were so excited and we wanted to get our coach," Jessica Prince said. "He was pretty startled."
If Jessica Prince continues to play like this, Stanczykiewicz will put up with some postgame pranks. Prince, a 6-foot-3 center, scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Warren's 45-32 victory. Prince was 5 of 7 from the field and recorded all her baskets in the second half.
This was the fifth consecutive victory for the Blue Devils (7-8), who improved to 4-0 in tourney action. They will play for the tournament title Saturday against Wheeling (13-2) at 7:30 p.m. The Wildcats also are undefeated in the Blue Devil Classic.
Against Palatine on Tuesday Prince scored 4 points.
"When I have bad games I really beat myself up," Prince said. "The next game I try to pick up the pace."
Prince has the size and strength to dominate. The key, just as it is with many of her young teammates, is to produce on a nightly basis.
"We talked to her before the game about how she is probably the biggest player in the tournament and we need to know that when the game is over," Stanczykiewicz said. "When she watches, we could put a 5-foot-5 girl in there. When she's active and plays to her ability, we're a very different team. You don't see too many kids her size with her ability to run the floor."
Even her own teammates have to be aware of where Prince is at all times. After making a basket, sophomore Alexis Leneau ran into Prince when she started to run down the floor. Leneau took the worst of the collision.
"She caught me off guard," Leneau said with a smile about Prince's accidental screen.
Leneau scored a game-high 15 points and had 4 steals. Sophomore Amanda Barger contributed 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Warren's defense never let Lake Forest get untracked. Mary Striedt (12 points) was the only Lake Forest player to reach double figures. The Scouts were 1 of 13 from beyond the arc.
"We're continuing to play good defense as a team, and now the ball is going in the basket," Stanczykiewicz said. "We were really down at the beginning of the season, but we're playing well now and are being rewarded with some wins against quality opponents."