advertisement

Bartlett stays hot, beats St. Francis

Nearly 24 hours after clinching the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division with a 62-43 victory over East Aurora, Bartlett's girls basketball team continued its winning ways against St. Francis Wednesday night.

Senior guard Kayla Hare scored a game-high 22 points with 4 rebounds and 4 steals during the Hawks' 65-50 nonconference win over the Spartans (10-14) in Bartlett.

Defensively, the Hawks (18-10) forced the Spartans into 26 turnovers - 15 of them coming in the first half as they built a 34-21 halftime advantage.

"Our press - when it's working, it's working," said Hawks coach Brad Hunt. "Today, it caused a lot of havoc and got us up and down (the court). We like to play fast and we like to be in the open court. We got some layups."

Hare and freshman backcourt mate Lexie Sinclair (11 points) combined for 7 of the Hawks' 17 steals - many of which resulted in easy baskets at the other end of the floor.

"We forced 31 turnovers last night (against East Aurora) and another 26 tonight," said Hunt. "Any time you get 26 extra possessions that's going to give you opportunities."

Trailing 6-2 in the early going, Bartlett closed out the opening quarter with a 15-4 run to take a 17-10 lead.

The surge was fueled by Missouri-St. Louis-bound Hare, who connected on her first 5 field-goal attempts, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Bartlett broke the game open by outscoring St. Francis 23-10 in the third quarter, extending its lead to 57-31.

Hare and junior guard Savannah Standefer each scored 6 third-quarter points while senior Danielle Kleeman added 4 points.

Recently returned from an ankle injury, senior Antwainette Walker led the Spartans with 19 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, while Katelin Chaparro and Shannon Cooney added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

"We weren't ready to play," said Spartans coach Sandy DeCraene, whose team suffered its fourth straight loss. "This wasn't what we are. We don't play like this. The intensity wasn't there."

St. Francis begins Class 3A regional quarterfinal action at home Monday night against IMSA.

"We have no choice but to be ready," said DeCraene. "I think sometimes you have one really bad game and hopefully this was it."

Justina Hernandez added 8 points and 6 rebounds for the Hawks, winners of 7 of their last 8.

"I think we've still got some things to work out," said Hunt. "We've got to take care of the ball. We were a little sloppy here and there with our drives and getting it (ball) slapped away."

Bartlett opens Class 4A Schaumburg regional semifinal play against Batavia Tuesday night.

"I think that Coach Hunt has us really prepared going into the playoffs this year," said Hare. "We're excited."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.