Larkin beats Elgin for 2nd straight win
Elgin scored the first 2 points of the second half Thursday night at Chesbrough Field House. Larkin scored the next 13 points, however, and the Royals rolled to a 60-45 win over their crosstown rivals.
The win was the Royals' second straight and, although their record doesn't show it, they may be peaking at the right time.
"We're building momentum for the conference tournament," said Larkin coach Steve Knapp. "I think we can stack up against anybody in the conference as long as we can handle the ball."
Baylei Johnson had 25 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 assists for the Royals. Morgan Miller also stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 14 boards and 5 blocks.
"When we took our time and ran our offense, we played really well," said Johnson. "We were rushing things early, but when we settled down we were able to score."
After Sabrina Moskow's bucket got Elgin within 26-22 after halftime, the Royals took control. Miller scored back-to-back layups on assists from Johnson and Kathy Garcia, then returned the favor by feeding Johnson for an easy one. Johnson then scored on a putback and added 3 free throws before Jamylin DeLeon finished the run by going coast-to-coast for a score.
Elgin freshman guard Jocelyn Bardesi scored 8 points in the first half but none after the break.
"We made a couple of adjustments defensively at halftime, to box-and-one number 30 (Bardesi), and I think it created a little problem for them offensively," Knapp said. "Keeping the ball out of her hands defensively helped us score in transition."
The Elgin-Larkin rivalry has rarely if ever been so subdued, with just a smattering of fans in the stands to celebrate the Maroons' Senior Night. But the intensity was there on the court, with a total of 47 fouls resulting in 59 free throws, including 37 by the Royals.
Larkin (2-7 overall) dominated the backboards, with a 58-23 advantage.
"Bad start, crushed on the boards, beat up inside to no end, they made all their free throws, other than that it was great," said Elgin coach Dr. Nick Bumbales. "They did a good job getting the ball inside, got some key offensive rebounds, some good putbacks. We were in foul trouble the whole game."
Takara Campbell led the Maroons with 16 points. Her personal 6-0 run in the fourth quarter made it 50-34. Campbell twice came up with steals and transition layups, getting fouled each time. But that was as close as they got until the very end.
Moskow and Izabella Vidallo added 6 points apiece for Elgin (1-7, 1-7).
Veley Garcia chipped in 7 points and 7 rebounds for Larkin.