Girls basketball: Kaneland drops battle for Interstate 8 lead

Sycamore guard Quinn Carrier didn’t have a field goal for the first 14:06 as the Spartans were locked in a back-and-forth contest at Kaneland.

But a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left in the half started a stretch in which the junior scored the game’s next 11 points, breaking a tie and powering the Spartans’ 48-35 win over the Knights.

“Yeah, she went bonkers. It was fun,” Sycamore coach Adam Wickness said. “That’s the type of player Quinn is. She’s a girl who can fill it in a hurry. I thought she was really patient and let the game come to her.”

The Spartans (18-9 overall, 7-1 Interstate 8) scored the game’s first seven points, but the Knights (18-10, 6-2) took their first lead on a layup by Kyra Lilly in the second quarter at 12-11. Kaneland missed its first 11 shots of the contest.

Lilly tied the game at 17 on another layup. But Carrier hit her 3-pointer, continued her hot streak into the second half, and the game was never closer than seven again.

“With the first quarter being off, I knew to let the flow come,” Carrier said. “I knew to get rid of the ball, keep passing it, and once I get hot, just let it come to me. Don’t force anything.”

Kaneland won 56-51 in December, but now the Spartans are in sole possession of first place in the conference and control their own destiny. Kaneland lost to Ottawa last week. The Spartans host the Pirates on Friday.

The Knights won their first conference title in 20 years last season, and now the Spartans have a chance to reclaim the crown after winning seven conference titles in a row before last season.

“It definitely makes us hungry for the wins,” said Carrier, whose Spartans close conference play at Morris (8-18, 3-4) on Tuesday. “I think we’re going to push hard and give it our all.”

Carrier finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and two steals. She made nine of her 11 free throw attempts, including her last five to help seal the win.

Sophia Rosati had a late 3-pointer and layup to help cut the Sycamore lead to 42-35 with 2:47 left, but the Knights couldn’t score again.

“The first half I really thought our girls were locked into the game plan,” Kaneland coach Brian Claesson said. “We just missed a couple of baskets there. But Sycamore’s playing great. You can see the second half of the season, their mentality has changed on defense.”

The Spartans have won eight of their last nine games. For the Knights, they’ve dropped five of six. Claesson said the team has been bit by the injury bug, with three starters hurt last week.

Lilly was playing for the first time in four games, and came off the bench in limited minutes with a foot injury. She finished with six points and three rebounds. Kalie Brown had missed the last three games with a concussion. She started but did not score.

Dani Ridolfi was out sick and did not play.

“It’s not an excuse, they played great,” Claesson said. “But it’s one of those things where hopefully by playoff time we’re healthy, feeling good about ourselves.”

Ansley Ruh and Amani Meeks each scored eight to lead the Knights. Meeks had seven rebounds and Grace Brunscheen had five steals.

Cortni Kruizenga had 11 rebounds for the Spartans and Grace Amptmann added six. Sadie Lang had 12 points, five rebounds and four steals.

Wickness said his team’s physicality was key in snapping the four-game losing streak to Kaneland. Sycamore forced 14 turnovers, outrebounded the Knights 38-31 and got blocks from Amptmann, Lang and Carrier.

“I thought when they punched, we punched back. That was great,” Wickness said. “Our defense is really clicking right now. I think we’re playing really good basketball.”