Buffalo Grove rolls past Schaumburg
The day after her softball season ended last spring, Buffalo Grove shortstop Jackie Bickhaus learned she played the last half of the basketball season and her whole softball campaign with a broken hand.
She wore a cast all summer and now wears a Velcro wrist band which helps with compression and support.
As the point guard, Bickhaus helps run the show for the Bison and they staged quite a performance on Monday at Schaumburg.
The visitors enjoyed their highest-scoring game and allowed their fewest points in a 46-19 Mid-Suburban League crossover win.
It was just what the doctor ordered for BG (4-4), which had dropped four straight games.
"Great team effort," Bickhaus said. "Every one of us contributed, regardless if we scored or didn't. It was exciting after our last few games.
"I definitely underperformed in the Elk Grove game (46-43 loss last Friday) and I was held accountable. So my goal for tonight was to pick it up for myself and my team. We always pride ourselves on defense and athleticism so it was nice to see it pay off."
Bickhaus' skills pay off for BG in both softball and basketball.
"I love both sports," said Bickhaus, who Bison coach Steve Kolodziej calls the team leader. "My heart belongs to both."
The lead belonged to BG for good when Macy Floro (7 points) hit the first of her team's nine 3-pointers for a 5-2 lead.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Megan Fontanetta (6 points) and Kendra Lee (14 points, 4 rebound) made it 13-5 and Saxons (3-5) never got closer.
BG did not allow more than 6 points in any quarter.
"We try to pride ourselves on defense and you could see it tonight," said Kolodziej, who was back at his alma mater where he quarterbacked the Saxons to the 1999 Class 6A state championship football game. "We had great pressure on their guards with Jackie and Macy and it just kind of trickled down from there."
Alyssa Ramos added 12 points and 5 rebounds while senior Sydney Fortman pulled down 6 rebounds with 2 blocked shots. Zori Angelova chipped in 5 points with 3 rebounds and senior Jackie Lavigne pulled down 2 rebounds.
"Sydney (Fortman) played pretty well down low inside," Kolodziej said. "She is always a hustle kid for us. She does all the little things, all the dirty work for us. It really just comes down to the response. I challenged some of our seniors after Friday to get things going in the direction we wanted and they responded really well."
Ariana Doroskin (7 points, 3 rebounds) and Vicky Aguirre (4 points, 7 rebounds) led Schaumburg.
Willows Academy 59, Christian Liberty 55: Annika Dinkelman scored 16 points Monday night but the Christian Liberty girls basketball team fell to Willows Academy.
Megan Ng and Audrey Law added 10 points each for the Chargers.