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Bartlett tops West Aurora to take UEC Valley lead

The expected showdown between undefeated Upstate Eight Valley girls basketball rivals never materialized Friday night in Aurora.

Olivia Vanderwoude had an inside score for West Aurora to open the second quarter.

But Bartlett, behind star guard Kayla Hare, was not to be denied.

The Hawks scored 21 consecutive points in settling all matters in a convincing - if not equally surprising - 62-36 victory.

Hare, bound for Division-II Missouri-St. Louis, pumped home four 3-pointers as part of her game-high 20-point performance.

"We had a chip on our shoulder," Hare said. "We wanted to make a statement coming in in the first game (of the home-and-home series). We want to win conference."

The Hawks (13-9, 5-0) held a commanding 32-10 lead at the intermission, and the spread was only increased in the second half.

The five Bartlett starters outscored their West Aurora counterparts 55-17.

Teagen Noesen (11 points), Lexie Sinclair (9), Shelly Banks (8) and Danielle Kleeman (7) all supplemented Hare in fine fashion.

Vanderwoude had 11 points off the bench to lead the Blackhawks (13-5, 4-1).

"We couldn't buy a shot (in the first half)," West Aurora coach Connie Siljendahl said. "We were hanging our heads. If our outside shots would have been falling, it could have been a much different game."

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