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Girls Basketball: Richards stands tall against Thornton
Mary Beth Nolan~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: November 19, 2011 8:08PM
Despite giving up height in the frontcourt, the Richards girls basketball team came out aggressive Friday night, dominating the glass from the get-go in a 39-22 victory over Thornton in the Bobby Bolton Classic at Richards.
Leading the way on the boards were forwards Brianna LeBeau (9 points, 15 rebounds) and Allison Stazak (6 points, 9 rebounds).
“I realized we could be physical going into the game,” LeBeau said. “But we’re short on post players this year, so (Stazak) and I have to help each other out and be smart with our fouls.”
Richards (2-0) jumped out to a 14-2 lead with five minutes to play in the second quarter, repeatedly scoring on putbacks.
The Wildcats (1-1) then began to claw into the lead, thanks largely to Richards’ inability to convert from the charity stripe (10-for-26).
Jaccarra Reeves’ steal and three-point play finished a 7-0 run, bringing Thornton to within five. But the Wildcats could not get any closer and trailed 18-10 at the half.
After a back-and-forth third quarter, Richards’ Samantha Kusta (13 points) put the game out of reach midway through the fourth frame. Kusta’s third 3-pointer of the night put Richards up 33-18.
The win put Richards into the title game of its own tournament. The Bulldogs were scheduled to meet Lincoln-Way East at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
“We’ll need to play hard (in order to win),” LeBeau said. “We’re like a big puzzle sorting out the pieces. Everyone needs to know what they are doing.”
Lincoln-Way East 58, T.F. South 28: The Griffins (3-0) received scoring from nine different players. Lincoln-Way East was led by Taylor Johnson (16 points) and Caitlin McMahon (11 points). T.F. South was paced by Dominique Brooks (10 points, 9 rebounds).
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