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Bair, Glenbard South start league play with win at Wheaton Academy

Maggie Bair and her Glenbard South teammates could not have started defense of their conference crown any better than they did Tuesday night at Wheaton Academy.

Bair made 7 of 9 shots in the first quarter while outscoring the Warriors by herself. The visitors built a 21-9 lead after one quarter on their way to a 53-39 victory in the Metro Suburban Conference Blue opener for both schools.

"I think this was a great way to start off conference play," said Bair, a 6-foot-2 junior, who finished the night with 26 points and 7 rebounds. "It's always nice to start with a win."

The Raiders (5-1, 1-0) were in control throughout, with Bair and Ally Daca each causing damage down low and guards Lauren Cohen, Sarah Cohen and Mady Carli knocking down the occasional perimeter shot but more importantly frequently feeding the ball inside to their taller teammates.

"I think we reacted well to things they were doing," said Bair, who just finished up a solid volleyball campaign for the Raiders. "We were cutting really well, and we moved the ball really well. We're moving the ball super well and (coach Morgan Kasperek) is teaching us to look down low when we're cutting. Everybody was looking for me at the basket and I just happened to be there."

The Warriors couldn't quite contain Bair and Daca but battled throughout and countered with six 3-pointers - two each from Cassandra Bonga, Analise Richcreek and Imani Hillmer.

"She's a great athlete and she's a great competitor," first-year Wheaton Academy coach Erin Carwell said of Bair. "She's got great hands and she's a great athlete, but we enjoy playing against her."

The 2-3 Warriors were paced by 10 points apiece from Hillmer and Lizzy Swoboda.

"I feel like we did really well battling and working together," said Hillmer, a sophomore forward. "I'm excited for the next few games. Right now we're real young so we've got some fresh legs and I'm excited to see how things go throughout the season. We're really working well together."

With Bair scoring 19 points through two quarters, the Raiders led 29-16 at the half and 40-23 after three quarters. Freshman guard Lauren Cohen scrapped her way to 7 rebounds while adding 4 assists and 2 steals.

"Ally (Daca) played well and we really pushed the tempo tonight," Kasperek said. "I thought Lauren Cohen did a nice job bringing the ball up and Sarah (Cohen) did too. So the girls were able to get their head up and run. That's something we really haven't done this season, so that was nice to see us push the ball."

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