Burlington Central rolls to 2 more wins
Eight continued to be great — and enough — for Burlington Central's girls basketball team Saturday.
Continuing to play without starters Sam Pryor and Sam Cruz, the Rockets showed the depth they still have with a roster of eight instead of 10, rolling to two more wins in their own Thanksgiving tournament.
Junior Becca Gerke scored 20 points in a 61-26 win over Woodstock, then junior Shelby Holt hit five 3-pointers and scored 22 points in a 68-28 drubbing of Belvidere North.
The wins put the Rockets (4-0) in the championship game of the tournament for the third straight year. They will play Machesney Park Harlem, the same team Central beat in last year's title game, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
And while the Rockets make no secret of the fact their ultimate goal is a return to Redbird Arena, this time for a Class 3A championship, they also know there's a long road to travel between now and March.
“We're setting goals as we go along,” said BC coach Mark Smith. “One of our first goals is to win this tournament and we've got ourselves in that position.”
In their first four games the Rockets have outscored their opponents by an average of 38 points. They led Belvidere North 44-17 at halftime as Holt scored 19 of her points in the first 16 minutes and the defense smothered the Thunder (1-3) into 16 turnovers while allowing just 12 shots. In fact, Belvidere North managed only four 2-point field goals in the game. Meanwhile, Central shot 27 of 61, including 9-for-24 from 3-point range.
“They're just so energetic and play hard the whole time,” Smith said of his team. “The pace of the first half was incredible and we didn't slow down. They just want to get after it. Their approach has been fantastic and they're having fun.”
If there's a challenge, it's to maintain the intensity in what's becoming a pattern of blowout games.
“It's definitely a challenge,” said Rockets' senior Alison Colby, who had a steady all-around game with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals. “We've been getting up by a lot but everyone's playing and contributing. We're just having fun, learning to play, and developing our team chemistry.”
The Rockets could have had issues starting the season without two starters from last year's run to state, but what it's going instead is giving others a chance to find their roles on the team. While junior starting point guard Kayla Ross added 11 points and 5 assists and senior Aly DeTamble had 5 steals in the win over the Thunder, Central also got 7 points off the bench from sophomore Kristina Ahlers and two 3-pointers from senior Jackie Collins. All eight Rockets scored, with Holt adding 8 rebounds and Gerke 7 to a 41-21 advantage on the boards.
“Starting the season we probably don't feel (the loss of Pryor and Cruz) and much because we started without them,” said Colby. “It's giving more girls a chance to find their shots.”
Cruz will be out until Christmas with a broken hand. Pryor is nursing a knee injury but is expected back soon, Smith hopes.