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Batavia knocks out Minooka in 3rd quarter

Minooka hurt Batavia early with its high-low game.

After closing within 2 points late in the second quarter of continued round-robin action of the Oswego Girls Basketball Holiday Classic necessitated Batavia coach Kevin Jensen to call timeout, Minooka never stood a chance.

The Bulldogs (8-3) proceeded to end the game on a 50-20 tear to win going away, 70-38, Monday night in Oswego.

“I think I said to play harder and talk more (on defense),” Jensen said of his message.

Batavia scored the final 7 points of the first half to take a 29-20 lead into the intermission.

Minooka (3-8) had stayed within one possession on four occasions bridging the opening two quarters.

But with stunning suddenness enshrouded in equally mesmerizing unselfishness, Batavia came out of the halftime break with a killer instinct.

The unanswered spread soon spread to 21 points as Batavia hit the Indians with the first 14 points of the third quarter, stretching its lead to 43-20 in the process.

Scoring on seven consecutive possessions, Hannah Frazier had a putback on the Bulldogs’ lone miss during the game-seizing stretch to begin the second half.

Even more impressive, all five starters scored in the 14-0 blitz.

The emergence of twin posts Frazier and Erin Bayram has already paid huge dividends for the Bulldogs during early-season play.

“We were trying to front (Frazier and Bayram), and it just wasn’t working,” said Minooka forward Larissa McLemen, who led the Indians with 16 points. “We were giving them way too many layups. We just didn’t play very much defense.”

With its superlative ball movement and inside-out scoring, Batavia was deadly from the field, shooting 28-for-53 (53 percent) from the floor for the game.

Four of the five starters were in double figures, headlined once again by Liza Fruendt, who nailed three 3-pointers in scoring a game-high 17 points.

Backcourt mate Miranda Grizaffi drained three shots from beyond the arc to finish with 11 points, and Minooka simply had no chance in checking the twin posts on the low block.

Bayram scored 16 points, and her freshman teammate added 13 more.

Sami Villareal had two more 3-pointers for the Bulldogs in adding 7 points.

“Offensively, (my key) was just squaring up to the basket,” Bayram said. “I was under control when I shot the ball. We do a really good job of sharing the ball.”

Batavia, which never trailed, faces undefeated Neuqua Valley (13-0) Wednesday night.

Jensen is more than pleased with the progression of his two bona fide threats in the paint.

“There’s teams that don’t have one (true post), and we have two,” Jensen said. “Hannah, being a lefty, is deadly from the left side.”

Images: Batavia vs. Minooka, girls basketball

  Batavia’s Liza Fruendt shoots between Minooka’s Alexa Hinkleman and Larissa McLemen at the Oswego High School Holiday Classic Monday. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Batavia’s Erin Bayram is fouled by Minooka’s Larissa McLemen at the Oswego High School Holiday Classic Monday. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.comBatavia's Sami Villarreal fights for a rebound against Minooka at the Oswego High School Holiday Classic Monday.
  Batavia’s Bethany Orman shoots between Minooka’s Sydney Arlis and Sydney Lilly at the Oswego High School Holiday Classic Monday. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Images from the Minooka vs. Batavia girls basketball game Monday, December 10, 2012 in Oswego. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
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