Schaumburg eases past St. Francis

Schaumburg freshman Alyssa Orozco was under orders from girls basketball coach Jacqie Strauch on Monday. She didn't disobey.

"Coach tells me to shoot the ball, so I shoot it," Orozco said.

Following her coach's orders, Orozco led Schaumburg with 11 points, and the Saxons (5-6) cruised to a 53-30 nonconference victory in Wheaton.

"She's a kid who knows how to score," Strauch said. "As a freshman she was hesitant to be up on varsity. And I said, 'You know how to score the basketball. We'll help you with everything else.' And that's where we're at right now, and she's doing what she's supposed to do."

Like a smart underclassman, Orozco passed the credit to her teammates.

"Everyone was passing the ball and we got wide-open shots and layups," Orozco said.

St. Francis never led, but the Spartans did tie the game at 6-6 in the first quarter. The Saxons' lead hit double digits at the start of the third quarter on a layup by junior guard Katie Smith. Schaumburg took a 35-21 lead on a Meghan Luecht putback, but the Spartans cut the lead to 7.

That was as close as the Saxons let the game get. They closed the third period with a Jackie Drs putback at the buzzer that gave Schaumburg a 37-22 lead.

"We weren't hitting shots in the beginning, so I think we teetered back and forth there for a second," Strauch said. "Then once we started going to the basket and took advantage of our size with (6-foot-2 center Vicky Aguirre), getting some dumps into her. And even if she missed, our offensive boards saved us today. We got after the offensive boards, I think, and were able to get some putbacks and finally get to the line a bit."

Aguirre added 8 points for the Saxons.

The lack of offense stood out for St. Francis (2-7). The Spartans made just 10 of 43 shots. It didn't get much better at the free-throw line, where they made 6 of 15.

"Shooting, offensive rotation was a huge problem for us," Spartans coach Sandy De Craene said. "We played so well against Rosary (Thursday), with our movement and our passing and our intensity. And it wasn't there today. We paid the price."

Junior guard Katelin Chapparo led the Spartans with 12 points.