West Aurora's comeback falls short vs. Yorkville

Kiyanna Rodgers was at the forefront of the spirited West Aurora comeback bid Tuesday night in Yorkville.

But the Blackhawks' senior minced few words as to why the effort fell short in a 58-52 girls basketball loss to Yorkville.

"Too many second-chance shots," said Rodgers, who scored a team-high 14 points.

On far too many occasions from the West Aurora perspective late in the game, the Foxes' unrelenting offensive rebounding and ability to snare loose balls was the fundamental difference.

Yorkville post Lindsay Harrison essentially sealed the game by converting two free throws with 36.2 seconds to play and then blocking the Blackhawks' ensuing 3-point attempt to turn the ball back over to Yorkville.

The Blackhawks (4-2) were mired in the offensive doldrums for the first two-thirds of the game.

The typical factors in a basketball game - too many turnovers and missed easy ones - were frequently on display.

The Foxes' Lily Guerra scored on the opening possession of the second half to give Yorkville its largest lead of the game at 34-20.

West Aurora did not score in the third until more than three minutes elapsed, but the Olivia Vanderwoude putback proved to be an icebreaker for the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks' extended their consecutive scoring possessions to three - then Rodgers dramatically lit a symbolic match.

The senior first hit a step-back 3-pointer and soon followed with another bomb.

"I just really did it for the team," Rodgers said. "It's my senior year. I wanted to win."

The Blackhawks almost equaled their entire first-half output in the fourth alone.

Dajour Miles scored 7 of her 11 points in the final quarter for West Aurora.

Essence Rayford had a picture-perfect drive for a 3-point play to trim the Foxes' deficit to three later in the quarter.

Rayford and Miles finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

But Yorkville (4-1) always found a way to maintain its almost game-long lead.

Miles' 3 straight free throws in back-to-back possessions brought the Blackhawks to within 54-52 with 1:22 to play.

West Aurora had a chance to forge only the second tie - or take its first lead since Rodgers' game-opening 3-pointer - but a short jump shot missed the mark.

Yorkville would score the final 4 points to seal the victory.

"It was deflating," Miles said of the Foxes' second, third and even fourth chances late in the fourth quarter. "We just didn't box out enough. It's a learning experience."

The Blackhawks' main culprit was Yorkville senior Lauren Daffenberg, who scored 10 of her game-high 22 points in the second quarter.

"We knew we had to play off them," Daffenberg said of combating the Blackhawks' speed. "The girls were setting really good screens (on offense)."