Lady Royals Rumble To Redbird
22-0 Third Quarter Helps Silence Stockton During 1A Supersectional Blowout ...
By Bill Lidinsky
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Contributor
ELGIN - For the first 16 minutes of the Class 1A Super-Sectional on Monday, February
22 at Judson College in Elgin, things were up for grabs between defending small school
champion Hinckley-Big Rock and upstart Stockton.
The Lady Royals owned a somewhat precarious 24-16 lead at the intermission and had
two starters, Tess Godhardt and Jes Meyer, in bad foul trouble with three miscues
apiece.
But in the third quarter, things would change big time in H-BR’s favor. The Lady Royals
absolutely overwhelmed the Lady Blackhawks with an avalanche of 22 points coming off
high speed transition basketball along with stifling defense that held Stockton totally
scoreless in the stanza.
After the H-BR barrage, it was just a matter of naming the score, which endued in a 57-
31 blowout and gave the Lady Royals their second consecutive Supersectional crown.
H-BR now owns a chance to defend its 1A title it earned a year ago at Redbird Arena in
Normal, IL.
The Lady Royals will make the return trip to the campus of Illinois State University
starting Friday February 26 at 1:45 p.m. where they’ll face the AlWood/Cambridge co-
op in the 1A Semifinals. The Lady Spartans punched their ticket to the Final Four and a
date with H-BR as they defeated Colfax Ridgeview 70-58 also Monday evening during
the Illinois Wesleyan University-held Supersectional in Bloomington IL.
For the Lady Royals it was all about an undeniable second half dominace that saw
junior Tess Godhardt explode for 16 of her game-high 23 points during the final two
quarters despite three first half fouls.
Overall on the night, Godhardt was a perfect 10-of-10 from the field, while hitting three-
of-four shots from the free throw line and hauling down six rebounds. She also moved
into the H-BR one-thousand-point scoring club as only the tenth player in history to hit
the hallowed plateau behind teammates Jenna Thorp and Maxine Rossler.
All in all, H-BR was a red hot 23-of-36 from the floor on the night, but it was the 12-of
15-shooting in the second half that spurred the Lady Royals to their second
consecutive 1A Final Four along with great transition and tremendous defense.
“We got into some foul trouble at the end of the first half and we went to a two-three
zone to start the third quarter. Contrary to what we did in the first half, I think we
rebounded well off Stockton’s missed shots when they weren’t shooting well and we
were able to get out on a lot on the breaks,” said Hinckley-Big Rock head coach Greg
Burks. “From there, we got some easy buckets on the other end and then the game
was ours. It was just a great second half effort and to outscore your opponent 22-0 in a
quarter during a Supersectional basketball game is unheard of. It takes good play, a
little luck, and doing the right things and that was the difference in the ballgame.”
H-BR (31-2) raced out to an 18-5 lead after one quarter courtesy of six points from
Godhardt and four each from Thorp, Rossler and sophomore Kaitlin Phillips.
But the fouls started to accumulate in a big way for the Lady Royals and Stockton took
advantage going on a 9-0 run with Godhardt and Meyer sporadically in and out of the
game throughout the second period.
Senior Haley Magee (11 pts.) tallied seven straight of her team high total to begin the
second period. Senior Jessica Brunner (6 pts.) then scored at the 3:10 mark and the
Lady Blackhawks were back to within four at 18-14.
But the Lady Royals would counter with six of the last eight points in the quarter
including a deuce from Thorp (10 points, eight rebounds) to close out the half up eight.
For H-BR, the late second period rally was a harbinger of great things to come despite
the early foul trouble for Godhardt and Meyer.
“After the first quarter, I told the girls if we could cut this thing in half before halftime we’
d be ok and we did. I felt comfortable before the halftime because we shot the ball so
poorly and we were still only down eight,” said Stockton head coach Dennis Young. “But
we ran into a buzz saw in the second half. They (H-BR) are a very balanced team with
two great post players and excellent guards and they showed it in the third period with
their transition and great defense. I think some of our kids got tired trying to keep up
with them for the first time this season. In the third quarter, we just couldn’t get anything
to go in and they really took it to us.”
Phillips (9 pts.) opened the period with a three, followed by a deuce by Thorp and a
triple and a bucket by Rossler (9 pts.) to give the Lady Royals a 34-16 lead at the four-
minute mark of the third period.
That’s when Godhardt took over and tallied 10 of the next 12 H-BR points to give her
squad a 46-16 lead with eight minutes to play as the 22-0 run reached its apex. She
would add seven more markers in the final frame as the Lady Royals put a big
exclamation point on their second straight 1A Supersectional title in as many seasons.
Godhardt led the way as H-BR’s newest member to its elite thousand-point club and its
second straight trip to Redbird for a shot at another 1A championship.
“I don’t think I’ve ever shot ten-for-ten before in a game. I’m not really sure, but I don’t
think so,” Godhardt said. “It’s all about my teammates. They gave me great passes in
the post, so it’s a credit to them. I had no idea I was close to it (one thousand points). I
was amazed. I didn’t think I was close to it at all and I think it’s a great accomplishment.
The important thing now us we’re in the final four again and we’ve got to give it
everything we’ve got in order to win our second straight championship.”
Bill Lidinsky is a Northern Illinois Sports Beat contributor. He can be reached in care of
NISB at Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our
Message Boards!
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Contributor
ELGIN - For the first 16 minutes of the Class 1A Super-Sectional on Monday, February
22 at Judson College in Elgin, things were up for grabs between defending small school
champion Hinckley-Big Rock and upstart Stockton.
The Lady Royals owned a somewhat precarious 24-16 lead at the intermission and had
two starters, Tess Godhardt and Jes Meyer, in bad foul trouble with three miscues
apiece.
But in the third quarter, things would change big time in H-BR’s favor. The Lady Royals
absolutely overwhelmed the Lady Blackhawks with an avalanche of 22 points coming off
high speed transition basketball along with stifling defense that held Stockton totally
scoreless in the stanza.
After the H-BR barrage, it was just a matter of naming the score, which endued in a 57-
31 blowout and gave the Lady Royals their second consecutive Supersectional crown.
H-BR now owns a chance to defend its 1A title it earned a year ago at Redbird Arena in
Normal, IL.
The Lady Royals will make the return trip to the campus of Illinois State University
starting Friday February 26 at 1:45 p.m. where they’ll face the AlWood/Cambridge co-
op in the 1A Semifinals. The Lady Spartans punched their ticket to the Final Four and a
date with H-BR as they defeated Colfax Ridgeview 70-58 also Monday evening during
the Illinois Wesleyan University-held Supersectional in Bloomington IL.
For the Lady Royals it was all about an undeniable second half dominace that saw
junior Tess Godhardt explode for 16 of her game-high 23 points during the final two
quarters despite three first half fouls.
Overall on the night, Godhardt was a perfect 10-of-10 from the field, while hitting three-
of-four shots from the free throw line and hauling down six rebounds. She also moved
into the H-BR one-thousand-point scoring club as only the tenth player in history to hit
the hallowed plateau behind teammates Jenna Thorp and Maxine Rossler.
All in all, H-BR was a red hot 23-of-36 from the floor on the night, but it was the 12-of
15-shooting in the second half that spurred the Lady Royals to their second
consecutive 1A Final Four along with great transition and tremendous defense.
“We got into some foul trouble at the end of the first half and we went to a two-three
zone to start the third quarter. Contrary to what we did in the first half, I think we
rebounded well off Stockton’s missed shots when they weren’t shooting well and we
were able to get out on a lot on the breaks,” said Hinckley-Big Rock head coach Greg
Burks. “From there, we got some easy buckets on the other end and then the game
was ours. It was just a great second half effort and to outscore your opponent 22-0 in a
quarter during a Supersectional basketball game is unheard of. It takes good play, a
little luck, and doing the right things and that was the difference in the ballgame.”
H-BR (31-2) raced out to an 18-5 lead after one quarter courtesy of six points from
Godhardt and four each from Thorp, Rossler and sophomore Kaitlin Phillips.
But the fouls started to accumulate in a big way for the Lady Royals and Stockton took
advantage going on a 9-0 run with Godhardt and Meyer sporadically in and out of the
game throughout the second period.
Senior Haley Magee (11 pts.) tallied seven straight of her team high total to begin the
second period. Senior Jessica Brunner (6 pts.) then scored at the 3:10 mark and the
Lady Blackhawks were back to within four at 18-14.
But the Lady Royals would counter with six of the last eight points in the quarter
including a deuce from Thorp (10 points, eight rebounds) to close out the half up eight.
For H-BR, the late second period rally was a harbinger of great things to come despite
the early foul trouble for Godhardt and Meyer.
“After the first quarter, I told the girls if we could cut this thing in half before halftime we’
d be ok and we did. I felt comfortable before the halftime because we shot the ball so
poorly and we were still only down eight,” said Stockton head coach Dennis Young. “But
we ran into a buzz saw in the second half. They (H-BR) are a very balanced team with
two great post players and excellent guards and they showed it in the third period with
their transition and great defense. I think some of our kids got tired trying to keep up
with them for the first time this season. In the third quarter, we just couldn’t get anything
to go in and they really took it to us.”
Phillips (9 pts.) opened the period with a three, followed by a deuce by Thorp and a
triple and a bucket by Rossler (9 pts.) to give the Lady Royals a 34-16 lead at the four-
minute mark of the third period.
That’s when Godhardt took over and tallied 10 of the next 12 H-BR points to give her
squad a 46-16 lead with eight minutes to play as the 22-0 run reached its apex. She
would add seven more markers in the final frame as the Lady Royals put a big
exclamation point on their second straight 1A Supersectional title in as many seasons.
Godhardt led the way as H-BR’s newest member to its elite thousand-point club and its
second straight trip to Redbird for a shot at another 1A championship.
“I don’t think I’ve ever shot ten-for-ten before in a game. I’m not really sure, but I don’t
think so,” Godhardt said. “It’s all about my teammates. They gave me great passes in
the post, so it’s a credit to them. I had no idea I was close to it (one thousand points). I
was amazed. I didn’t think I was close to it at all and I think it’s a great accomplishment.
The important thing now us we’re in the final four again and we’ve got to give it
everything we’ve got in order to win our second straight championship.”
Bill Lidinsky is a Northern Illinois Sports Beat contributor. He can be reached in care of
NISB at Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our
Message Boards!
| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
At Judson University, Elgin
Class 1A Super-Sectional
Hinckley-Big Rock 57
Elgin Academy 31
H-BR (57) – Thorp 3-9 4-4 10,
Godhardt 10-10 3-4 23,
Phillips 4-5 0-0 9, Meyer 0-2
0-0 0, Rossler 4-7 0-0 9,
Hollis 1-2 2-2 4, Baunach 1-1
0-0 2, Leifheit 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 23-36 9-10 57.
Stockton (31) –
Schamberger 1-3 0-0 2,
Magee 3-16, 4-5 11, Brunner
3-12 0-1 6, Schulz 1-8 0-0 3,
Werkheiser 2-6 0-0 5,
Wampfler 0-1 0-0 0, Finn 1-2
0-0 2, Kupersmith 0-0 0-0 0,
Hammer 0-2 0-0 0, Gille 0-1
0-0 0, Lawfer 1-1 0-0 2.
Totals 12-52 4-6 31.
H-BR (31-2) 18 6 22 11 – 57
Stock'n (25-8) 5 11 0 15 – 31
3-point goals – H-BR 2-4
(Rossler, Phillips); Stockton
3-16 (Magee, Schulz,
Werkheiser). Rebounds – H-
BR 29 (Thorp 8); Stockton 25
(Brunner 6). Steals – H-BR
11 (Phillips 4); Stockton 6
(Brunner 4). Blocks – H-BR 1
(Thorp); Stockton 0.
Turnovers – H-BR 16;
Stockton 14. Assists – H-BR
16 (Meyer 5); Stockton 6
(Brunner 3). Total fouls (none
fouled out) – H-BR 9;
Stockton 9.
Class 1A Super-Sectional
Hinckley-Big Rock 57
Elgin Academy 31
H-BR (57) – Thorp 3-9 4-4 10,
Godhardt 10-10 3-4 23,
Phillips 4-5 0-0 9, Meyer 0-2
0-0 0, Rossler 4-7 0-0 9,
Hollis 1-2 2-2 4, Baunach 1-1
0-0 2, Leifheit 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 23-36 9-10 57.
Stockton (31) –
Schamberger 1-3 0-0 2,
Magee 3-16, 4-5 11, Brunner
3-12 0-1 6, Schulz 1-8 0-0 3,
Werkheiser 2-6 0-0 5,
Wampfler 0-1 0-0 0, Finn 1-2
0-0 2, Kupersmith 0-0 0-0 0,
Hammer 0-2 0-0 0, Gille 0-1
0-0 0, Lawfer 1-1 0-0 2.
Totals 12-52 4-6 31.
H-BR (31-2) 18 6 22 11 – 57
Stock'n (25-8) 5 11 0 15 – 31
3-point goals – H-BR 2-4
(Rossler, Phillips); Stockton
3-16 (Magee, Schulz,
Werkheiser). Rebounds – H-
BR 29 (Thorp 8); Stockton 25
(Brunner 6). Steals – H-BR
11 (Phillips 4); Stockton 6
(Brunner 4). Blocks – H-BR 1
(Thorp); Stockton 0.
Turnovers – H-BR 16;
Stockton 14. Assists – H-BR
16 (Meyer 5); Stockton 6
(Brunner 3). Total fouls (none
fouled out) – H-BR 9;
Stockton 9.
STATE BOUND - Left to Right: Jessica Leifheit, Alyssa Baunach, Jenna Thorp, Maxzine,
Rossler, Jes Meyer, Kaitlin Phillips, Tess Godhardt, Katie Hollis.
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