Mooseheart blows out Woodlands

It's always a sign when the reserves play nearly as much as the starters in a basketball game.

And Mooseheart's girls basketball team had the chance to play its entire roster liberally on Tuesday. But what can't be lost is the fact that the starters played pretty well themselves, setting the Ramblers on their way to a 61-30 victory over Woodlands Academy in the opening round of the Elgin Academy Thanksgiving Tournament.

"That was the goal for this game, to get out strong early and kind of send a message, not only to Woodlands but to the other teams in the tournament," Mooseheart coach Bryan Miller said.

The Ramblers rolled to a 24-8 lead after one quarter of play and had seven players score. By halftime, that margin stood at 37-15 and Mooseheart was well on its way to victory. Coming away from halftime, the starters returned and played solid basketball before heading to the bench for good.

"We told them to jump right back in like there was no halftime," Miller said. "We wanted to them to get back in the flow and stay fundamental and keep up the defensive pressure."

All Ramblers played in the game but none scored as consistently as sophomore guard Katie Stryker, who scored more than 20 points for the third time in as many games. Stryker scored 23 points and was the of nine scoring Ramblers to reach double-digits. Coley Genger led Woodlands Academy with 10 points.

As each half progressed, Miller dipped into his reserves, which stretched Woodlands even further.

"That's always a very good thing," Miller said. "When you get to play everyone on your roster, that's always a bonus. It's kind of a good thing for the starters too. They get sit on the bench and watch our reserves and they can learn."