Sports
Girls Basketball: Vikings' Athleticism too Much for L-Way Central
Homewood-Flossmoor 59, Lincoln-Way Central 40. Knights had few answers for the Vikings' Charnelle Reed, Syndi Johnson and Ashley Collins.
The Hot Read: Homewood-Flossmoor fell behind 15-5 in the opening quarter as junior guard Rachel Post hit three consecutive 3-pointers for the Knights.
But it was all H-F for the remainder of the Southwest Suburban Blue contest as the Vikings rolled to a 59-40 girls basketball victory on Thursday night.
Ashley Collins, one of three H-F players in double figures with 11 points, had a five-point personal run early in the second quarter to punctuate a 15-2 Vikings’ run. H-F would never trail again in large part due to its superior athleticism, tenacity on the offensive glass and the play of standout junior guard Charnelle Reed.
The Vikings’ offensive leader scored a game-high 21 points, including 12 in the first half that ended with H-F holding a 26-21 advantage. Lincoln-Way Central would only manage five field goals in the second half as the Vikings’ defensive pressure reached its apex behind six Reed steals.
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Patch's MVP: Reed, the H-F junior guard. She scored a game-high 21 points, collected six steals, snared five rebounds and added four assists.
Key stats: The most convincing statistic in the Vikings’ win was the differential in shot attempts. H-F would struggle mightily in the game, missing 49 of its 73 attempts. But the Vikings had 21 offensive rebounds and forced the Knights into 31 turnovers. Therefore, the balance of power shifted unmistakable toward H-F as the game wore on as the Knights only attempted 40 field goals, making a mere 13.
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H-F Leaders: Reed (21 points, 6 steals, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), Sydni Johnson (11 points, 15 rebounds), Ashley Collins (11 points), Amena Brent (6 points, 5 rebounds).
L-W Central Leaders: Rachel Post (17 points, 3 rebounds), Amanda Galliano (13 points, 4 rebounds), Courtney Paarlberg (6 points, 8 rebounds).
Quotable I: Lincoln-Way Central coach Loren Hess on the Vikings methodically taking control after the Knights scored 15 of the first 20 points: “Their athleticism (was the difference). Basketball is a game of runs. We have to recognize when other teams are about to start one and stop it in its tracks. There were some pivotal moments in the game when we were very careless with the basketball.”
Quotable II: H-F coach Dana Noble on the Vikings winning by 19 points despite a collective 23-for-72 performance from the field. “We’re in a shooting slump right now. We have to start shooting the ball better when we play better teams.”
Team records: The Vikings, who will host top-ranked and two-time defending state champion Bolingbrook in their regular-season finale on Friday, improved to 20-6 overall, 10-3 in the Southwest Suburban Blue; Lincoln-Way Central had its regular season close out at 8-16, 3-11 in the league. The Knights face Thornwood Monday in the play-in game of the Class 4A Providence Regional.
