Girls Basketball: Bolingbrook overwhelms Lockport
By Matt LeCren For Sun-Times Media January 24, 2013 10:56PM
Updated: February 26, 2013 6:32AM
Bolingbrook isn’t quite as dominant as it has been in recent years, but don’t tell that to the other teams in the SouthWest Suburban Blue.
Despite graduating eight of their top nine players, the Raiders have continued to dominate conference foes, the latest performance a 63-24 rout Thursday night of host Lockport.
Bolingbrook (16-5, 10-0) has won its league games this season by an average of 41.2 points. That includes a one-point win over Homewood-Flossmoor.
The easy wins haven’t stopped Bolingbrook coach Anthony Smith from demanding more from his players, most of whom are new to the program.
“That’s the problem I’m struggling with right now,” Smith said. “These kids don’t understand. They just come in and say, ‘Oh, we have a game today.’ We’re the team (people) judge (themselves against) in the state. Our kids don’t understand yet how hard and how long they’ve got to work.
“(Thursday) wasn’t our best game. As long as we’re going to play a game, we’re going to go out there and try to get better.”
Lockport (9-12, 3-7) led 1-0 in a sloppy contest that saw each team make 32 turnovers. The Raiders responded with a 15-1 run to end the first quarter and didn’t allow the Porters to score their first basket until Destiny Hollins (8 points) made a layup with three minutes left in the second quarter.
By then, the game was out of reach as the visitors held a 24-7 cushion and increased it to 35-12 by intermission. Bolingbrook defense was stellar, totaling 24 steals.
Aysia Bugg led the way for the Raiders with 17 points and six steals. Destiny Harris also had six steals, while Kennedy Cattenhead and Ashley Drain each had three.
“We kind of know the teams in our conference, so we’re looking at a bigger picture,” Bugg said. “We’re not worried about conference. It’s more like playoffs. That’s all we’re worried about now.”
Of course, Smith worries about all the little things it takes to be great, which is why he was yelling instructions throughout the game and even took a timeout with 23 seconds left to impart some wisdom. Bugg, a transfer from Oswego East, said that took some getting used to.
“It’s definitely different,” Bugg said. “I’m used to it now. I appreciate him. He’s probably one of the best coaches in the country.”
