Halftime adjustment suits Cary-Grove against BG

Cary-Grove coach Rod Saffert wouldn't reveal what he said to his team at halftime.

Whatever Saffert's words of wisdom were, the tactics worked.

Holding a 1-point 24-23 lead at halftime, the Trojans outscored Buffalo Grove 34-12 during the final 16 minutes and cruised to a 58-35 nonconference girls basketball win over the Bison in Cary on Saturday afternoon.

"I can't say what I said at halftime," said Saffert. "But I was not with the happy with the way we played offensively or defensively in the first half. We had some breakdowns on both sides. In the second half, we were more patient on offense and played with greater intensity on defense."

The Trojans (17-3) rectified their issues at intermission and came out and blitzed the Bison with a 12-1 run during a five-minute and 22-second span to open the second half. Cary-Grove, which made 5 of its first 6 shots, got 6 points from Claire Jakubicek, a 3-pointer from Johanna Geegan and a layup from Olivia Jakubicek as the Trojans turned a 1-point lead in a 12-point 36-24 advantage with 2:38 left in the third quarter. The Trojans forced 5 Bison (8-12) miscues and turned 4 into layups during the pivotal run.

The Bison didn't score their first basket of the second half until 1:45 remained in the quarter on a 12-footer in the lane by KC Dunne to pull the Bison within 10 at 36-26.

"Coach was not happy at halftime and he let us know it," said Claire Jakubicek. "We didn't play hard enough and had way too many turnovers. We were on the same page in the second half and played with a lot more intensity."

Buffalo Grove did get within 8 of the Trojans 41-33 when Emily Cho hit a free throw with 7:22 remaining in the game. That was as close as the visitors would get.

The Trojans ensured victory with a 10-0 run. Led by 6 points from Claire Jakubicek and 4 from Josyln Nicholson, Cary-Grove opened an insurmountable 20-point advantage 51-33 with 2:41 left.

Claire Jakubicek led the Trojans with 24 points. Nicholson, Paige Lincicum and Geegan scored 8 apiece for the winners.

Buffalo Grove, which committed 35 turnovers, were led by Dunne with 12.

"We had too many turnovers," said Buffalo Grove coach Pat Dudle. "A lot of those turnovers were unforced. We had a lot of turnovers (17) in the first half and were still in the game. We didn't handle their pressure well and didn't play a consistent game.

"Jakubicek (Claire) is the total package. She can beat you inside or outside."