Hughes' practice helps Warren shoot down Palatine
The shots just weren't falling for Warren freshman Jordyn Hughes. So the perfect remedy for Hughes was to, well, shoot.
Prior to the Blue Devils third game of the 2014 Blue Devil Classic against Palatine, Hughes went to Libertyville Sports Complex and worked with her shooting coaches.
"We all saw the type of player that Jordyn can be over the summer," said Warren coach John Stanczykiewicz. "Her teammates saw that she could score 18, 20, 28 points over the summer - they knew Jordyn could score."
The little bit of extra practice went a long way for Hughes on Tuesday night as her high school career-high 20 points lifted the Devils to their third straight win in the tournament 48-36 over Palatine. Warren (4-8) will face Grayslake Central at 4:30 p.m. Friday while Palatine (5-9) will face Wheeling at 3 p.m.
"The competition really drives me," Hughes said. "I needed to work on some things with my shot and spent some time working this morning to get it right."
Hughes locked into a good battle with Palatine senior Katie Conklin. She scored all of her team-high 15 points in the first half, including a pair of long 3-pointers in a wild first quarter that ended tied at 15-15.
"Coach told us to stay with her because we knew she was a great shooter," Hughes said.
Warren did a better job from midway through the second quarter on as Conklin wasn't able to stay as hot as she'd started. Conklin drained 5 of her first 6 shots from long range but missed her last 8.
"I would like to think with the depth we have that maybe we started to wear them out some there in the second half," said Stanczykiewicz, now 1 win shy of 300 for his career.
Defensively, Warren clamped down on Palatine in the second half holding the Pirates to just 10 points and only 3 made field goals in the second half.
"We were moving the ball to where we wanted to in the third quarter and I felt like we were getting good shots, they just weren't falling for us," said Palatine coach Mark Johnson. "It's tough beat anyone shooting 12 percent like we did."
Warren opened the game up with a 10-2 run that carried from the middle of the second quarter to the end of the third. Warren extended its lead to 36-29 after three quarters.
"I think we are starting to find an identity for this team," Stanczykiewicz said. "A month ago, we probably don't win a game like this. But tonight we made good decisions and made our free throws to win it."
Senior Monica Masini was the only other player in double figures as she contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Pirates.