Larkin takes 7th straight over Elgin
There's nothing like a 10-0 run to end the half to boost your confidence going into the second half.
Just ask Larkin's girls basketball team.
The Royals trailed crosstown rival Elgin 23-16 with 2:03 to play in the first half Friday night, a lead the Maroons built while Larkin junior standout Marlee Kyles was on the bench with two fouls. But with Kyles back in the game and scoring the first basket of the game-defining moments, Larkin erased the deficit, took a 26-23 lead into halftime, then never let Elgin get closer than 3 the rest of the way, eventually pulling away for a 55-44 Upstate Eight River win at Chesbrough Field House.
It's the Royals' seventh straight win in the city series.
"Everybody was so pumped it took us a while to get into it. Once we did we were OK," said Kyles, who finished with a game-high 17 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. She scored 13 of her points in the second half. "We're starting to learn how to win and we're becoming more of a team and a more fast-paced team. I'm excited."
Elgin (1-5, 0-1) was able to get the ball inside early as 5-10 senior center Alisha Panthier scored all 10 of her points in the first 10-plus minutes. But Larkin switched up on defense, forcing Elgin to the perimeter. The Maroons managed only 7 field goals in the second half. Sophomore Kylie Graves led the Maroons with 11 points and sophomore Raechel Untalan added 9.
Larkin (2-4, 1-0) snapped a 4-game losing streak by weathering the storm with Kyles out then playing a good team game around their top scorer when she came back. Junior Shawniece Douglas had 10 points, 8 in the first half, and 8 rebounds. sophomore Haley Bohne did a nice job of running the offense while scoring 7 points and grabbing 4 steals and 6 rebounds. Larkin won the rebounding battle 42-32.
"Marleee's been in that situation a lot," said first-year Larkin coach Steve Knaap of Kyles' early foul trouble. "She has to learn from it but when that happens the team is getting good experience playing without her. Shawniece did a fantastic job in the first half, especially when Marlee was out.
"We're not going to be able to turn things around in 5, 6, 7 games. We want to be ready for February. I don't care how we get there, we just want to get there by February."
Larkin's biggest lead was 55-38 after a free throw by senior Sarah El Rahmany (6 points) with 1:42 to play. The Royals shot 37.5 percent from the field (21 of 56) while Elgin was at 37 percent (17-for-46). Elgin had 31 turnovers; Larkin 27.
"We didn't take advantage of the time (Kyles) was out as much as we could have," said Elgin coach Dr. Nick Bumbales. "I thought we could have expanded the lead more. We struggled a little rebounding and I thought we tired a little as the game went on. I was proud of the girls' efforts. We're more fundamentally sound and we're hustling better. The ingredients to get better are there."