Putbacks help Bartlett beat Streamwood
Bartlett's girls' basketball team didn't shoot the ball particularly well Tuesday night but it didn't matter because the Hawks seemed to come up with every rebound.
Taking advantage of their prowess on the offensive glass and some hot outside shooting, the Hawks downed visiting Streamwood, 65-61, in the Upstate Eight opener for both teams.
The overall totals showed the Hawks with only a 38-37 edge on the boards, but they seemed to be able to play keep-away when it mattered. On one possession, the Hawks came up with 6 offensive rebounds.
The Hawks also made 12 shots from 3-point range. Mackenzie Hare made five 3-pointers on the way to her game-high 21 points. Alexis Sinclair made 3 from beyond the arc in the first quarter and finished with 19.
Justina Hernandez added 8 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks for Bartlett.
Riya Patel finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds for Streamwood (1-4, 0-1). Mandy Mien had 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Colleen Veguilla added 9 points.
One thing both teams struggled with was free throws. In fact, each team shot better from 3-point range than from the line. They combined to shoot 20 for 58 (34 percent) from beyond the arc, but only 6 for 21 (27 percent) from 15 feet.
Bartlett grabbed an early 10-3 lead, but the Sabres used a 10-0 run to take the lead. A 3-pointer by Patel put Streamwood ahead for the first time, the first of 6 lead changes in the first 2-plus quarters.
The Sabres led 32-29, but Bartlett scored 4 quick points at the end of the half to take the lead. A breakaway layup by Sinclair and Savannah Standefer's putback of her own missed free throw put the Hawks back on top.
"We obviously did not rebound very well, especially in a few possessions when they got multiple, multiple opportunities," said Streamwood coach George Rosner. "I thought rebounding was a real key today. And then at the end of the first half we made some key mistakes. We let them get 4 points when we should have gotten 2 out of that and that was a 6-point turnaround at the half. But I thought when we got down at the beginning, we came all the way back, and that's a great sign."
Bartlett took the lead for good with a 13-2 run early in the second half, capped by 3-pointers by Hare and Hernandez.