Rosary 45, Driscoll 42

For three quarters neither Rosary nor Driscoll could buy a bucket with a gift certificate and their parents' credit cards.

Actually, Rosary's Jordan Rettig started her own shopping spree in the third period in Addison.

Rettig scored 10 points in the third quarter to spark Rosary to a 45-42 girls basketball victory in a battle of up and coming Suburban Catholic Conference teams.

"That was a big game," Rosary coach Dave Beebe said. "We knew they were going to be tough. They were an undefeated team. They're a strong team."

Starting the second half tied at 16, Driscoll (6-1, 0-1) got a 3-pointer from junior guard Gigi DiGrazia. But the Royals (8-3, 4-0) went on a 16-2 Rettig-led run to take an 11-point lead with eight minutes to play. Rettig finished with team-highs 13 points and 7 rebounds.

"We needed that because she struggled in the first half," Beebe said. "She was getting her shot blocked, she wasn't playing real strong offensively and defensively. We sat her almost the whole second quarter. The third quarter she came out and made a statement."

Rosary scored only 1 field goal in the fourth quarter, but 11 free throws were enough to hold back the suddenly hot Highlanders.

"Our kids really stepped up at the end," Beebe said.

Struggling to score up close, the Highlanders stepped back, DiGrazia leading with the way with 3 more 3-pointers and a 2-pointer. She finished with a game-high 14 points.

"DiGrazia hit some big baskets in the fourth quarter," Beebe said.

"We really wanted a spark," Driscoll coach Steve McCuiston said. "We wanted her to sit behind the screen-and-rolls and knock down some 3s, and she was able to do that. And really that's the kind of spark you need. In a low-scoring game two 3s can get you right back in it."

The fourth quarter was Driscoll's best, with the Highlanders hitting 8 of 16 shots, 4 of them from behind the arc. For the game they made just 15 of 51 shots after coming off a 10-day layoff. Rosary made 12 of 54.

"They took us out of what we typically like to do, they did a nice job," McCuiston said. "And we weren't getting the looks we've been getting in the first six games, and we took away a lot of things they like to do too."