Alex, Timothy Christian run past Fenton
Timothy Christian sophomore Sureya Alex relied on her conditioning and muscle memory to survive - thrive - in Thursday's Metro Suburban Red showdown at Fenton.
Games against Fenton's run-and-gun style are difficult to prepare for opponents. Dealing with 32 minutes of mental, physical and nonstop action against the Bison often can wear down opponents.
Not Timothy Christian - or Alex.
Alex scored 19 points to lead the Trojans to a dominating 82-62 win over Fenton in Bensenville.
She sparked the Trojans (16-5, 8-2) with 3 steals and two left-handed fastbreak layups in the third quarter.
"I'm exhausted and everything is hurting right now," Alex said, smiling. "It was so much running, jumping up for rebounds and it was so physical. What helped me was I went to a camp in sixth grade that only worked on the left hand, so left is my best side."
Sophomore forward Hannah Schuringa benefitted from the Trojans' height advantage. The 5-foot-11 Schuringa scored a game-high 24 points, including 10 points in the decisive third. Her basket near the end of the quarter extended the Trojans' lead to 66-46. Jordyn Strube added 17 for the Trojans.
"I was really tired in the third quarter," Schuringa said. "It was a lot of running and tiring. Sureya and the other guards were really good at throwing the ball up the court for layups. We have been practicing fastbreak layups and finishing all week."
The Trojans beat the Bison (11-11, 6-4) at their own game to win a critical conference game between two teams battling to move up in the standings. The Trojans pushed the pace in the second half, repeatedly beating the Bison down the court for layups and second-chance shots.
"(Fenton) is such a tough team to play because they are so different and shoot so many 3-pointers," Timothy Christian interim coach Mark Baumbach said. "We love defense, but we knew we had to outscore them. I've been so high on Sureya all year. She's been fantastic and the engine that drives us. She did a great job tonight. Hannah cleaned up everything and played well."
The Bison made three of their first eight 3-pointers, including two banked shots, but then fell into a game-long shooting slump.
Overall, the Bison shot 13 for 71 on 3-pointers to fall into line of their season-long shooting percentage of "19 to 20 percent" on 3s, according to Fenton coach Dave Mello. Ashley Milano paced the Bison with two 3s for 8 points.
"Timothy Christian has good ballhandlers and size and length, which hurt us," Mello said. "They love to run, and we knew it would be an up and down pace. They are really good and have a couple of high-level players. I thought we played very hard and we competed."