By Laura M. Medina
Playing five games in eight days would be enough to exhaust any team, and it was evident the Yorkville girls’ basketball team was feeling the effects of the cluttered schedule in their latest outing.
Somehow, though, the Foxes overcame their sluggish start to post a 45-22 non-conference win against Sandwich on Tuesday in their final home contest of the regular season. It was their seventh straight victory (dating to Jan. 24), celebrated on a night that also honored four Yorkville senior players.
It’s been a busy stretch for Yorkville (18-6) since the end of last month, as it has not only racked up games on the slate, but it has also tallied up wins in the process. On Jan. 31, the team defeated IMSA, 45-30, and followed it up the following night with a 42-33 win over Northern Big 12 Conference foe Rochelle.
Then, last Friday night, the Foxes edged Kaneland with a 45-42 victory behind senior guard/forward Ali Hester’s 15 points before defeating Ottawa 55-46 on Monday.
With so many games played in such a short amount of time, it’s not really surprising it took the Foxes a while to get going in Tuesday’s game against Sandwich (10-17).
Two quick baskets for the Foxes gave them an early lead before the Indians added a score of their own with 6:11 remaining in the quarter. Hester added a transition layup soon after that, but both teams faced a scoring drought until the final minute of the first, when freshman forward Kendall McDermott (five points, four rebounds) scored on a put-back and Sandwich guard Mercedes Garcia drained a three-pointer to provide the 8-5 ledger.
“It was probably the ugliest game of our last five,” Foxes head coach Luke Engelhardt said. “I thought that maybe we’re a little bit tired, looked a little bit sluggish offensively, but I am proud of the way that they’ve been playing lately.
“We had a tough game (Monday night) against Ottawa; we won against a really good team. Last Friday, we had a big one against Kaneland. I would say this was our let-down game after all these big ones, and hopefully, it’s the only one we’re going to have. We can get back on track.”
Yorkville looked more renewed in the second, opening with five unanswered points in the first 1:18 of play and keeping Sandwich off the board until the team sank a free throw in the final four minutes of the quarter. In response, the Foxes went on a 9-4 run to close out the first half with a 22-10 lead, but it could have been a more lopsided score if the home side had taken advantage of all six of its turnovers.
“We did force a lot of turnovers, but we didn’t capitalize on them,” Engelhardt said. “We either turned them back over or we took a shot that we didn’t make, and we have to against the teams we’re going to be playing the next couple games. We can’t just give away points.”
It was the third quarter that officially put the game in Yorkville’s hands, as the team outscored Sandwich 10-2 behind the efforts of Dhuse, who scored three points and totaled three steals in that span, and sophomore guard Corrine Rowe (four points, four steals, three assists), who had two steals and a layup.
Dhuse also assisted on a basket for Hester, who grabbed two steals of her own in that stretch to help put the Foxes ahead 32-12 heading into the fourth.
“We came out with a win, but we weren’t as happy as we should have been,” Hester said. “We didn’t put down as many shots as we wanted to, and we didn’t work as well as a team as we usually do, but hopefully, in the next game, we can come out a little bit stronger.”
It’s been Hester’s and Dhuse’s play, plus the performances of fellow fourth-year guards Cara Schlichting and Nikki Hills that have helped the Foxes to success all season.
“They’ve been huge contributors to the success of our team,” Engelhardt said. “Against Ottawa, they scored 41 of our 55 points, so they’re a huge load of the offense. Jordann and Ali probably get the most headlines for being as good as they are, but Cara and Nikki do a great job with their roles, as well, so I can’t say enough about them.”
Each of these seniors was honored in a pre-game ceremony on Tuesday, and each contributed in their own way. Schlichting scored a basket and grabbed five rebounds and four steals, while Hills had a score and flustered the Indians’ defense further.
Dhuse, meanwhile, led all scorers with 12 points, while also wreaking havoc on the boards (12) and on the court, as she had five steals, two assists and two blocks. Hester chipped in seven points, nine rebounds and seven steals for the Foxes.
“It’s just a great thing to add to our senior year, and we’re just happy to be together,” Dhuse said. “I’d like to see us put it all together, finish as a team and finish really strong with a great season, and hopefully, win the regional.”
Yorkville held the slight edge in the final quarter, outscoring Sandwich 13-10 and sealing the 45-22 result to secure its seventh straight win and give its four graduating seniors a night to remember. But there’s still plenty of time for those fourth-year players to continue making an impact on the team.
“They set the tone, they’re very even-keeled, they have high expectations for themselves, which the rest of the team just feeds off of,” Engelhardt said. “It seems that when their attitudes are good, and they are really pushing it, the rest of the team feeds off that. They’re definitely going to be missed, but we have a few big games left, and they’re going to be leading us then.”
Following tonight’s (Thursday’s) game, the Foxes will host a Class 3A regional and are seeded second, as they match up against No. 3 Rosary next Wednesday. No. 5 Sandwich, meanwhile, faces No. 4 IMSA on Monday in the same bracket, so it is possible that these teams will match up again before the season is over.
“We want to peak on Thursday,” Engelhardt said. “(Tuesday) was a bit of a let-down game, but I think we’re going to keep peaking. The biggest thing for us is that when we knock down shots, we’re a tough team to beat, and if we can consistently make shots, we’ll be OK.”