Johnson double-double carries Addison Trail past Hinsdale South

Addison Trail wanted to take advantage of junior Mia Johnson's aggressiveness and ability down low Saturday night in Darien.

It worked, earning the Blazers a 39-25 victory at Hinsdale South in the West Suburban Conference Gold Division girls basketball game.

Johnson finished with a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, 7 of them on the offensive end.

"We talked about in the locker room, establish something inside if we could with her, and she was relentless on the boards and every chance she went, she tried to go putback, putback," said first-year Blazers coach Cory Little, his voice hoarse from coaching. "She wouldn't stop at the free-throw line."

Addison Trail (3-5, 1-2) led from start to finish, but the Hornets (0-5, 0-1) cut the lead to 1 early in the third quarter. The Blazers responded with a 9-0 run to pull away again.

"We just don't have the numbers this year so it's just hard to last an entire game. Our girls really fought hard and that's all you can ask for," Hornets coach Scott Tanaka said.

Sophomore Quiana Birmingham came off the bench to score 12 points for the Blazers. Senior guard Janae Washington hit three 3-pointers to pace Hinsdale South with 10 points.