Dundee-Crown nets 4th straight win
The Dundee-Crown girls basketball team rode a quick start Tuesday night to its fourth consecutive victory.
The Chargers scored the first 11 points of the game and their lead never fell under 6 as D-C defeated Larkin, 55-41, in a nonconference game in Elgin.
“It was nice. For change we were the ones that (were) up and we were pushing it,” said D-C junior Jesnania Laboy, who finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds. “We know we can’t start by digging ourselves a hole. We have to start with the momentum and that’s what we wanted to focus on getting.”
Lauren Lococo had 5 points, Emily Michalski had 4 and Allison Michalski added a basket as the Chargers (5-8) sprinted out to an 11-0 lead 3½ minutes into the game.
The Royals (2-6) missed their first 14 shots and didn’t score until Victoria Patterson hit a free throw with 2:12 remaining in the first quarter. Patterson got Larkin’s first field goal with 1:39 to go in the quarter.
“We were slow, sluggish,” Larkin coach Ruben Flores said. “The coaches and I have been trying to get them focused. I don’t know. Maybe we were looking past Dundee-Crown to our megabowl and crosstown rival in Elgin.”
The Chargers led 25-13 at halftime, holding Larkin to 14 percent shooting (5-for-35). Dundee-Crown was a bit sloppy with the ball in the third quarter, turning the ball over nine times. That allowed the Royals to get within 6, 37-31, with 42 seconds remaining in the third.
Larkin got within 6 three times in the fourth quarter, the last coming at 47-41 with 2:52 remaining, but the Royals wouldn’t score again. D-C scored the final 8 points of the game.
“We definitely came ready to play,” said first-year Chargers coach Sarah Miller, whose team surpassed last year’s win total with the victory. “We really emphasized coming out ready from the start and being mentally focused. We’ve done a nice job the last four games doing that and we sustained it.”
Laboy had 14 points and 12 rebounds in the second half as the Chargers outrebounded Larkin, 56-42. Sophomore Melissa Barker hit 4 3-pointers, including 3 in the third quarter, to finish with 12 points. Lococo finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Michalski had 8 points and 7 rebounds.
Patterson’s 15 points led Larkin. The senior also had 7 rebounds and 8 steals. Quixmia Washington had 9 points, while Marlee Kyles added 7 points and 10 rebounds.