Burlington Central pulls out 2-point win over Hampshire

Kathryn Schmidt has been a main contributor in the Burlington Central program for 4 years.

Playing all 32 minutes, the Lewis University recruit produced 16 points including two 3-pointers with 12 rebounds and 4 assists to help lead the Rockets to a hard-fought 51-49 win over Hampshire in Fox Valley Conference action in Hampshire Wednesday night.

"I didn't play well against Huntley (8 points) on Saturday and was determined to play better tonight," said Schmidt. "I was more aggressive offensively and my teammates got me the ball in good position to score. Like Huntley, this is another good win on the road against a very good Hampshire team. We grinded out the win and stayed together. We have a lot of 4-year varsity players. We are equipped to handle the pressure games."

Central coach Colin Kalamatas praised Schmidt's effort.

"Kathryn had a good bounce back game," said the Rockets coach. "We got her in some favorable matchups tonight and she played a great overall game for 32 minutes."

Elana Wells paced the Rockets (14-2, 6-1) with 26 points including four 3-pointers.

"Elana missed some shots but it is next play for her," said Kalamatas. "She has a short memory. She made some big shots."

The Rockets' biggest lead was 24-15 after 2 free throws by Rebecca Carani with 3:27 left in the first half.

The Whip-Purs (9-9, 4-2) methodically whittled away at the Rockets lead and eventually grabbed a brief 42-39 advantage on a long 3-pointer from Kelby Bannerman with 5:45 remaining.

Central responded with a 7-0 run on 5 points from Wells and a putback by Madelyn Menke to take a 46-42 advantage with 3:11 left.

"Madelyn is only 5-foot-3 and averages 5 rebounds a game," said Kalamatas. "She is such a competitor and she sneaks in the lanes and gets rebounds. The putback was huge."

With the Rockets up 50-47, Bannerman had a good look from 3-point range with 18.9 seconds left but the ball fell off the rim.

Bannerman scored 21 points, 15 in the second half. The junior standout grabbed 12 rebounds with 3 assists and 4 steals.

Alyssa Cork nailed three 3-pointers for 9 points while Katelyn Del Re scored 8.

"We executed our plays but missed a lot of layups," said Hampshire coach Eric Samuelson. "Kelby played a much better second half. She took better shots and got her teammates more involved. We played hard but give Burlington credit."