Bartlett knocks off Neuqua to pull even in UEC Valley

Less than 24 hours removed from allowing a season-high 69 points in a double-digit loss to St. Charles East, Bartlett's girls basketball team picked up the defensive pieces Friday night.

Limiting Neuqua Valley to 25 percent shooting (13 of 51) from the floor, including just 12 percent accuracy (2 of 17) from beyond the 3-point arc, the Hawks (14-7, 7-1) battled their way to a 45-34 Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division victory in Naperville.

"Everybody misses shots - we missed shots, too," said Bartlett coach Denise Sarna. "Hopefully you can keep enough defensive pressure on them. They're a real tough team to guard but we had a combination of players come in and contribute."

Junior center Kelly Harris scored 12 of her game-high 14 points in the second half for the Hawks, who seized control during their 16-9 third-quarter surge.

"(Thursday) night, we had a tough defensive night," Harris said of the UEC crossover loss to St. Charles East. "We got challenged by our coaches and we brought it (tonight). That's what won this game for us."

Three minutes into the contest, Harris survived a scary collision with teammate Shelley Lyjak under the Wildcats' basket.

"She went in for the shot and I went in for the ball and we just collided," said Harris.

Both players remained down on the court for several minutes before heading to the bench.

"I was shielded from what happened but they were both down for the count," said Sarna. "They're both tough kids so I knew when they weren't getting up that it wasn't going to be good. Thankfully, it just looks like some bruises."

Harris, who bruised her left hand, returned to action just 4 minutes later while Lyjak sat on the bench with an ice bag on her neck before coming back midway through the third quarter.

"I was glad that she (Lyjak) got back in the game, too," said Harris.

Clinging to a 27-23 lead early in the third quarter, the Hawks rattled off 9 unanswered points to build a 13-point advantage at 36-23.

Keyed by a 3-pointer from Kaitlin Brohan, the run included a pair of free throws from Nina Pavell (7 points) and Lyjak as well as layup by Harris.

"I think that's where we took a step forward today," said Sarna. "Sometimes we try to force the issue on certain things but we were a little more patient offensively and took what was available."

However, there were some tense moments down the stretch for the Hawks, who went scoreless for the first 6:03 of the fourth quarter until Harris broke the ice with 2 free throws that extended their lead to 41-32.

"It wasn't really what we were trying to do," said Sarna. "We talked about taking some time off the clock but we weren't trying to stall."

Lauren Janczak and freshman Kayla Hare added 10 and 8 points, respectively, for the Hawks while Brohan had 18 rebounds and 3 steals.

"She just wills our team to win sometimes," Sarna said of Brohan. "Some kids just have it - that nose for the ball."

With the win, the Hawks pulled even with Neuqua Valley (18-6, 9-1) in the loss column in the division.

"It was really a great win for us," said Harris.

Myia Starks paced Neuqua Valley with 13 points.

"Early on, we left some wide-open shots for them that we haven't done the last couple weeks," said Wildcats' coach Mike Williams.

"I give all the credit to Bartlett. They came to play as they always do and we just didn't."