Bartlett picks up 3rd win over South Elgin
Bartlett senior guard Trinity Reyes can get lost sometimes on the basketball court.
It's not because Reyes is prone to losing focus or missing her shots.
It's also not because her height - 5-foot-1. Most games, she's often one of the shortest, if not the shortest, player on the court.
At times, Reyes gets lost in the stuff because the Hawks' pair of Division I, explosive guards, Mackenzie Hare and Alexis Sinclair, dominate the scoring column with their highlight-reel plays.
Reyes' worth to the Hawks can't be measured solely in statistics, but she managed to put up a tangible number in Thursday's Upstate Eight Conference tournament semifinal against South Elgin.
Reyes scored all 8 of her points in the first half to spark the Hawks to a 78-57 victory. Wearing a new pair of shoes, Reyes was all smiles after the blowout victory.
"I was just trying to find good shots, but I usually let Lexi and Mackenzie do their thing," Reyes said. "When they get the ball out to me, I just tried to do my best, and kept shooting."
Hare, a St. Louis recruit, didn't score her first points until the 2:30 mark in the first quarter, but she finished with a game-high 37 points. She made 9 3-pointers, while Sinclair, a St. Bonaventure signee, added 19 points.
The Hawks (13-3) defeated the Storm (9-7) for the third time this season, and have reeled off 10 wins in a row heading into Saturday's tourney title game against Glenbard South, a 39-36 winner over Glenbard East.
South Elgin sophomore guard Zoie Lewis finished with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds. She scored 13 of her team's first 24 points.
In the third matchup between the two conference teams, the Hawks came out of the gates sluggish, mainly due to a slow shooting start by Hare and Sinclair. The Hawks, who defeated the Storm by double digits in both regular-season games, managed just two points in the first five minutes.
Reyes' scrappy defense and first-half offense carried the Hawks until the Hare-Sinclair show took over and put the game out of reach.
"When teams challenge us with different defenses, like a triangle and two and box and one, that's when kids like Trinity can shine," Bartlett coach Kristi Ragan said. "She works hard on defense and made a few plays there and then hit a couple of shots today and came off the court smiling at halftime."
South Elgin trailed 28-26 early in the third quarter, but Hare unleashed a barrage of 3-pointers to kickstart a run that overwhelmed the Storm.