Batavia answers early wake-up call

Playing a midmorning basketball game on a day off from school can pose its share of problems for any high school student-athlete.

However, Monday's 7 a.m. bus ride and 9:30 a.m. tip-off time failed to deflate the energy from Batavia's girls basketball team.

Relying on relentless defensive pressure, the Bulldogs (11-11) jumped out to a 22-9 halftime lead and fought off a late Kokomo rally for a 37-30 victory over the Indiana-based Ladykats (11-6) during day two of the 25th annual McDonald's Shootout at Willowbrook High School in Villa Park.

"First quarters have been a struggle for us but we're getting better at that," said 6-2 junior forward Hannah Frazier, who finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots for the Bulldogs. "I think today we played really well in the first half."

Trailing 5-3 midway through the opening quarter, the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to grab an 11-5 lead.

Frazier began the surge with a 3-point play off a feed from Emily Lasse and followed with a pair of free throws while sophomore teammate Mackenzie Foster added a runner in the paint and classmate Stephanie Rodriguez split a pair of free throws.

Batavia extended its defensive pressure in the second quarter with bountiful results.

In addition to forcing 9 second-quarter turnovers, the Bulldogs limited the Ladykats to just 2 field goals with several different defensive looks.

"We pressed, we pressed to man, we pressed to zone, we did 1-3-1, we did 2-3, we ran our trap," said Batavia coach Kevin Jensen. "We ran everything we've got just to do it. I thought our defense executed pretty darned well."

Jensen, who scouted Kokomo during its 51-29 loss to Mother McAuley last Saturday, felt confident in Monday's game plan.

"I thought if we rotated well, we'd be good," said Jensen. "I didn't think they'd outshoot us. I figured our defensive intensity would carry us for the most part."

"That's what Coach Jensen emphasizes," Frazier said of her team's defense. "We have a 1-3-1 and a 2-3 and other things we can go to so teams are never comfortable in what we're going to be in. I think that's a big deal so they can never get their offense going."

Kokomo, led by sophomore guard Jayda Andrews, finally got its offense together while cutting Batavia's lead to 27-21 after 3 quarters.

Andrews, who tallied 12 of her team-high 14 points in the second half, pulled the Ladykats to within 31-29 on a driving layup with 4:35 remaining.

However, the Bulldogs held Kokomo without a field goal the rest of the way, as free throws from Frazier, Foster and Morgan Erickson sealed the deal.

"We've had a couple of those where it was a little too close for comfort," said Jensen. "But at the same time, if we're playing good defense a 7-, 9-, 10-point lead feels a little bigger. I thought we played real good defense the entire game."

Jessica Koch (7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals), Foster (5 points, 3 rebounds), Erickson (4 points, 2 steals), Shea Bayram (6 rebounds), Bethany Orman (4 assists, 2 steals) and freshman Anna Rakoz (3 points) also contributed as the Bulldogs climbed back to the .500 mark.

"It's a world of difference (from the beginning of the year)," said Frazier.

"Every day, I feel like we're getting better at certain things," said Jensen. "Yeah, we want to rack up a bunch of wins but I want to make sure we're playing the best we can play at the end of our season."