Batavia regroups, downs Kenwood at Montini
Playing in a 9:45 a.m. game on the day after Christmas can have its drawbacks.
Sometimes it takes a little extra long to shake the cobwebs and get down to business.
Batavia's girls basketball team showed plenty of spirit in the first half of Saturday morning's Montini Christmas Tournament but that temperament wasn't necessarily showing on the scoreboard.
It read Kenwood Academy 26, Batavia 22.
However, the Bulldogs (13-2) regrouped, responding with a 13-2 run over the first 4 minutes of the third quarter and pulled away down the stretch during their 58-46 first-round victory over the Broncos.
"We calmed down a little bit and by we, I mean myself, too," said Batavia coach Kevin Jensen, who was whistled for a technical foul just 4 ½ minutes into the game.
"It helped that they calmed down and I calmed down. We just said, 'let's not worry about that (officiating calls) and just keep worrying about what we do.' "
Senior center Hannah Frazier scored 4 of the team's first 5 points of the third quarter as the Bulldogs grabbed a 27-26 lead.
"It was a real physical game," said Frazier, who finished with a game-high 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 blocked shots. "I think that kind of caught us off guard in the first half. After we calmed down, we were OK."
After Kenwood went back on top 28-27 on a basket by Jonaie Johnson (8 points), Batavia took the lead for good on Jessica Koch's 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Misfiring on 9 of their first 10 3-point attempts, the Bulldogs connected on 3 of 5 3-point attempts during their 22-10 third-quarter surge.
The barrage included 3-point baskets from reserve guards Elena Cabrera (13 points) and Hailey Orman (10 points).
"I thought our third quarter was one of the better quarters we've played this season," said Jensen. "Our bench was huge. Hannah (Frazier) will get her points almost no matter what happens or what people try to do.
"When we're dangerous is when we get a handful of people with 6, 7, 9 points. When we struggle to do that, we have a tough time scoring the ball."
Batavia stretched its 44-36 lead into a 55-37 bulge with an 11-1 run during the first 3 ½ minutes of the fourth quarter that featured 3-pointers from Koch (9 points) and Cabrera.
"I do work on it a lot," Cabrera said of her outside shooting. "I think it's a part of my game."
Alyssa Moore led Kenwood with 12 points.
Batavia will face top-seeded Montini (13-0) in Monday's quarterfinals.
"It's exactly what you want when to come to this tournament - to play the absolute best and see what we can do," said Jensen.