Boyd’s big game helps Elk Grove past Hoffman Estates

The scoreboard showed 1:10 remaining in the first half and Elk Grove’s girls basketball team was enjoying a 21-9 lead over Hoffman Estates.

Grens 5-foot-10 forward Diamond Boyd was also enjoying the half of her career.

All 21 of the Grenadiers points were by Boyd, who along with her coach Ryan Kirkorsky and teammates had no idea of the extent of the junior’s tremendous scoring spree.

“I didn’t know how many points I had, I was just going with the flow,” Boyd said. “My teammates just really helped me out. Everyone was looking for the open pass. Everyone played well. It was a good team effort.”

That team effort sustained through the second half as the Grenadiers chalked up a 41-29 victory in the final game of the Lake Park-Hoffman Estates-Elk Grove Invite.

Boyd finished with a career-high 24 points and 10 rebounds.

“Diamond’s a beast.” said Grens sophomore guard Melissa Solorio, who chipped in 10 points along with 7 rebounds. “That was actually crazy (in the first half). If she’s open, she’s got the basket. It’s hard to guard Diamond.”

Hoffman coach Mike Nocella would agree.

“We made adjustments, we did everything we could,” Nocella said. “She just had one heck of a game.”

Boyd’s 9 basket’s in the first half came in all varieties — spinning bank shots, layups and 16-foot jumpers.

It wasn’t until junior guard Kari Czeszewski (3 assists) hit a 10-foot pull-up jumper from the baseline with 1:07 left in the second quarter that the Grens had a point from someone other than Boyd.

“I had no idea that Diamond had been our only scorer to that point because everything was in the flow of what we were trying to do,” Kirkorsky said. “And we talked to the kids after the game and said for Diamond to have a half like that really depends on everyone doing her job.”

“Coach had us really prepared,” Boyd added. “We knew what to expect and we stepped up in the positions we were in.”

Point guard Kelly Naughton was not in her usual position for the third straight game. The 5-6 junior is hoping to return soon from a concussion.

“I thought all our guards did a nice job filling in doing all the things Kelly normally does for us,” Kirkorsky said. “And I thought Amber Lindfors (6-4 freshman center) had her best game. I felt good about her contributions on both ends of the floor.”

Nocella would have liked his standout forward Destinee Young on the floor a little more but the 6-1 junior still scored a team-high 13 points in about 23 minutes.

Young picked up her fourth foul with 6:24 in the third quarter and did not return until 6:11 of the fourth.

Hawks senior point guard Mary Pettit chipped in 9 points, all coming from 3-point land.

“Foul trouble has seemed to be a problem all season,” Nocella said. “And we don’t have a lot of depth. And we had the same problems in our last two losses, where we are not playing as a team. We’ve got to pick up our effort, which we did a little toward the end of the game.”

Solorio’s rebound layup at the first-half buzzer gave Elk Grove a 25-10 lead.

The Grens (2-2) kept at least a 15-point cushion most of the second half until Hoffman (1-3) ended the game on a 7-1 run.