Bartlett rolls past Neuqua

Bartlett coach Denise Sarna still bemoans her team’s lack of consistency.

When her Hawks are on, though, look out.

No. 1 Bartlett laid a 20-0 first-half run on No. 9 Neuqua Valley Wednesday, and coasted to a 59-42 win in Naperville.

The beat goes on for Bartlett (22-0, 8-0 Upstate Eight Valley), which has beaten all but two of its opponents by double figures.

“We always love to come out with great intensity, and it starts with our defense,” said Indiana-bound Hawks senior Haley Videckis, who scored 19 points. “That’s the game we play. We come out at the beginning and try to set the tone.”

Bartlett has shown serious spurt-ability in two visits to Naperville this year. In November they opened a game at Naperville Central with a 17-0 run.

Neuqua Valley (16-4, 4-3) hustled its way to a fair start Wednesday and had it tied 13-13 with 2:32 left in the first quarter after an Amarah Coleman 3-pointer.

Ashley Johnson answered with a three-point play at the other end for Bartlett, and the floodgates opened up. By the time Videckis buried her second 3-pointer with 2:29 left in the half, it was 33-13.

Johnson provided a big lift off the bench with 8 points and 5 rebounds.

“Between Katie Gutzwiller, Nicole Gobbo and Ashley Johnson, the three of them — every night it’s a different kid that is a key contributor off the bench,” Sarna said. “Today it was Ashley. She really provided a spark, and we needed that.”

Neuqua was relentless on the boards with 20 offensive rebounds, and that tenacity got the Wildcats an early 10-6 lead. But they couldn’t make the shots necessary to stay with Bartlett.

Neuqua went 1 of 11 from the field in the second quarter, 2 of 8 from the free-throw line in the half and shot just 26 percent for the game.

It’s a sight Neuqua coach Mike Williams has unfortunately grown familiar with of late.

“You can’t do anything else if you don’t make the shots. That’s what it comes down to,” Williams said. “Bartlett is a great team. You have to be able to score to beat that team. There’s no magical formula. It’s not like we don’t practice shooting.”

Neuqua pulled within 44-28 with 1:05 left in the third quarter on an Allison Hedrick putback basket, but a Kristin Conniff 3-pointer touched off a 12-0 Bartlett run to answer.

Conniff scored 16 points for the Hawks, who did appear to coast with a big lead.

“We’ve done this before,” Sarna said. “We get our lead, and then we kind of let up. It’s something we got to work on.”

Bartlett is one of only two teams in the Chicago area still undefeated, Whitney Young the other. It’s easy to see why, what with an all-senior starting lineup that knows each other well.

“I can honestly say that this is the best team chemistry I’ve ever been a part of,” Videckis said. “Nobody cares who scores as long as we win.”

Kristen Moore came off the bench with 9 points and 9 rebounds and fellow sophomore Najee Smith had 7 points for Neuqua, which concluded a daunting week that included games with Waubonsie Valley, Fenwick and Bartlett.

It’s growing pains that will only help the young Wildcats.

“We’re fine,” Williams said. “Today is not the finish line.”