Glenbard South puts on a show

It was Pack the Place Night at Glenbard South on Friday, so the Raiders decided to put on a show for the home crowd.

The Raiders made six first-quarter 3-pointers and cruised to a 63-24 Upstate Eight Conference girls basketball victory in Glen Ellyn.

"It's a lot more people than we usually have," Raiders junior guard Lauren Cohen said, "so it's nice having a good crowd cheering us on."

Glenbard South (15-4, 8-3) ran out to a 25-4 first-quarter lead and never let Fenton (7-12, 1-10) back into the game.

The Raiders gave the crowd plenty to cheer. They finished with 12 3-pointers for the game, with senior guard Rocky LaPonte shooting 6 of 10 from the arc and junior guard Lauren Cohen making 5 of 10 on her 3-point attempts.

"So far the last couple of games I've been struggling with shooting, so Rock's been making five or six a game," Cohen said. "Today I think we were just moving the ball really well, like really fast, to get them out of their place. And then our shots were just going in today."

LaPonte finished with 20 points, 6 assists, 4 blocked shots and 3 rebounds. Cohen had 17 points, 7 steals, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Neither player saw the court in the fourth quarter.

"When they shoot the ball like that - and I know Cohen and Rocky have been on fire - but we're trying out a new defense, and it was a great learning experience for our girls," Fenton coach Dave Mello said. "They've just got to get out a little quicker to the shooters."

Raiders coach Morgan Eufrasio appreciated Cohen's and LaPonte's shot selection.

"They waited for the ball to go into the post and then come out, and those are solid shots always," she said. "I was impressed with that."

Akayhla Dixon scored 12 points off the bench, and Iman Sellars added 11 points for Glenbard South.

The Raiders assisted on 19 of their 23 field goals.

"That's huge. It makes the game fun. We don't have any selfish kids on our team. They're all ready to pass it. So it's just fun to watch," Eufrasio said.