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Girls Basketball: Niles West no match for Bolingbrook
Willowbrook High School hosted the 22nd annual McDonald's girls basketball shootout tournament on Jan 13,14 and 16. Niles West and Bolingbrook played on 1/16. Bollingbrook's Morgan Tuck keeps the ball.
| Tamara Bell~Sun Times Media
Updated: January 16, 2012 9:55PM
Forget the hype. Forget all the message board trash talk. Forget all the focus on Morgan Tuck versus Jewell Loyd.
Monday’s finale of the McDonald’s Shootout at Willowbrook between No. 2 Bolingbrook and No. 21 Niles West was more about two teams trying to get better as the long and arduous girls basketball season grinds to an uncertain conclusion.
“People can hype any game,” Bolingbrook’s Morgan Tuck said. “But when you get out there, you still have to play the same way you do every other game.”
For Tuck, that means playing awfully darn well.
Tuck, the 6–foot-1 Connecticut recruit, scored 26 points on 12 of 23 shooting from the field, and added six rebounds, two blocks and three steals to lead the Raiders (13-1) to a 67-36 victory over Niles West. Nia Moore added 15 points and Keiera Ray had eight points and six rebounds.
“I think we played pretty well,” Tuck said. “We had stretches that were better than others. I think overall we played pretty well today.”
Tuck was more critical of her own performance.
“I think I started off well, but I just got a little frustrated not making the shots I’m used to making,” she said. “But my teammates were there saying, ‘Morgan is OK. Everybody misses. It doesn’t matter as long as we win.’ My teammates got me back into it. I just had to forget about the misses.”
On the other side of the floor, Loyd, a Notre Dame recruit, scored 23 points including an NBA three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to keep the Wolves within 34-23 at the break.
“I practice those shots all the time, so it’s just another shot,” she said.
But Loyd was harassed relentlessly by Bolingbrook’s Kenney Cattenhead, DeLacy Anderson, Allie Hill and Ray. Bolingbrook held Loyd to just six of 19 from the field, although the 5-11 senior was 4 of 10 from three-point land and seven of nine from the free-throw line to go along with eight rebounds.
“She’s going to hit shots,” Tuck said. “We didn’t expect her to not making anything. But I think our guards did a great job guarding her.”
Bolingbrook’s four guards used most of their 15 fouls on Loyd.
“Yeah, it’s always physical,” Loyd said. “I’m used to not getting calls. It’s not a big deal. They just make me get ready for college. So, thanks.”
Jackie Cardenas added seven points for Niles West (16-6), which heads back into conference play Friday night after back-to-back losses to No. 1 Whitney Young on Saturday and No. 2 Bolingbrook on Monday.
“It’s fun when you play teams like these,” Loyd said. “They make us better for conference.”
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