Burlington Central downs Elgin again
The Burlington Central and Elgin girls basketball teams opened their seasons against each other a week ago.
The two squared off again Tuesday night in the seventh-place game of the Burlington Central Thanksgiving Tournament. The result was the same, a blowout victory for the Rockets, who beat the Maroons, 58-38.
"It helps out. We're missing (Alison) Colby this week and she was the driving force against Elgin last week so to not have her tonight it was nice to see where we need to work on other areas," Central coach Jenna Real said. "That was a good thing for us."
Elgin (0-5) stayed closer longer in the second game, trailing by only eight, 26-18, at halftime. The Maroons were down by 18, 30-12, after the first quarter in the opener.
The Maroons led 4-2 after a pair of baskets from senior Bri Hamilton, but that would be Elgin's only lead. The Rockets (2-3) scored the next nine points to grab an 11-4 lead. Central led 19-10 before the Maroons went on a 7-0 run to get within 2, 19-17, with 3:46 remaining in the first half.
Elgin, which has lost 33 straight, would manage only a free throw the rest of the half as the Rockets took a 26-18 lead at halftime.
"I thought we came out and competed real well for the first 12 minutes," Elgin coach Dr. Nick Bumbales said. "It's not enough to win a game yet, but we're getting closer all the time."
Central came out aggressive in the third quarter, scoring the first five points, all off Elgin turnovers. The Rockets forced nine Maroons turnovers in the first 4 minutes of the third and scored 12 points off those turnovers to take a 41-23 lead with 3:52 left in the third quarter.
The Rockets extended their advantage to 47-28 heading to the fourth as Jessica Laird scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the third quarter.
"We've been talking about getting a leader who is going to step up and take charge both verbally and through their play," Real said. "We've been struggling to find that leadership role on the court. I think today Jessica Laird stepped up and became an excellent leader, especially in the second half."
Elgin wouldn't get closer than 16 in the fourth. The Maroons turned the ball over 44 times in the game and went 9-for-42 from the field. Hamilton had 8t of the baskets, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The senior has had a double-double in every game this season.
Sarah Nelson and Brenda Thasavong, who also had 7 rebounds, each added 9 points for the Rockets, who were again without Colby as she is spending time with family. The freshman scored 20 points in the season-opening victory against the Maroons.
Cary-Grove 55, Lakes 42: Paige Lincicum led four players in double figures with 17 points to lead the Trojans (1-2) to their first win of the season in the Turkey Thriller at Lakes. Olivia Jakubicek added 13 points for Cary-Grove, while Katie Barker and Joslyn Nicholson had 11 each.
Westminster Christian 72, Chicagoland Jewish 13: Porsche Griggs had 21 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Warriors (3-2 to a nonconference win. Mckaila Hays added 10 points for Westminster.