Batavia drops season opener

The sounds of basketball season being ushered in Monday night in River Forest were as unmistakable as the Proviso East defense was opportunistic.

The Pirates more than lived up to their school nickname by swiping 17 Batavia passes, turning many into easy scores.

Batavia opened its girls basketball season by producing ties on back-to-back possessions.

But Proviso East guard Da'Tasia Almond hit a 3-pointer, and the Bulldogs would trail for the remainder of the first-round game of the Trinity Thanksgiving Tournament.

Almond and backcourt mate Cinia McCray combined for 36 points in the Pirates' 57-39 victory.

Batavia (0-1) has a new appearance after career-scoring leader Liza Fruendt graduated last spring.

"A lot of familiar faces from last year, but every single one of them has a slightly different role," Batavia coach Kevin Jensen said. "We're going to take a little bit of time to ease into that (collective adjustment)."

A central issue for the Bulldogs was a lack of balanced scoring.

Hannah Frazier was the lone Batavia player to score in the second quarter as Proviso East (1-0) extended its 23-11 first-quarter lead into a 31-16 cushion at the intermission.

Frazier finished with game highs of 20 points and 9 rebounds.

The other four Batavia starters - guards Bethany Orman and Mackenzie Foster and forwards Shea Bayram and Emily Lasse - totaled 10 combined points.

"They're very athletic girls," Frazier said of the Pirates. "We struggled to get into our offense."

Both teams began the game employing full-court presses.

Foster and Frazier matched the Pirates' game-opening field goals, but the Pirates' athleticism was as evident as the Bulldogs' first-game hesitations.

"I thought there were a lot of jitters out there," Jansen said.

The most promising Batavia run came after halftime.

Frazier converted a 3-point play as part of a 6-point personal run, and Orman hit a long 3-pointer to bring Batavia within 34-27.

But Proviso East responded with a 15-5 burst bridging the final two quarters; Batavia would come no closer than 15 points the remainder of the game.

McCray overcame early foul issues to lead Proviso East with 19 points.

"I had to play a little smarter," McCray said of her two first-quarter fouls. "I wasn't surprised (Batavia opened in a full-court press) at all. This is varsity high school basketball."

Jessica Koch came off the bench to become the second-leading scorer for Batavia with a conventional field goal and 3-pointer.

"There's always room for (personal) improvement," Frazier said of her game-high 20 points.

Batavia returns to action Wednesday evening against another highly regarded program in Christ the King.