C-G conducts defensive clinic

Cary-Grove's Joslyn Nicholson (center) is guarded by McHenry's Michelle Kelly (left) and Emma Romme as she brings the ball down the court in the first quarter of Friday's game in Cary. C-G won, 39-18. (Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com)

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CARY – For six consecutive days after the Mundelein Holiday Classic, all Cary-Grove’s girls basketball team did was practice. After giving up 71 points to Zion-Benton in the tournament finale, the emphasis in those sessions was defense.

And much to the pleasure of coach Rod Saffert, it seems as if those drills have translated into on-court success.

C-G’s defense hounded McHenry throughout Friday’s Fox Valley Conference Valley Division game, and the Trojans came away with a dominating 39-18 victory.

“We took that time to really work on moving as a team, and I think that really moved into the game and helped us,” C-G senior Paige Lincicum said.

C-G (10-5 overall, 4-0 FVC Valley) forced nine consecutive McHenry turnovers to start the game and the Warriors didn’t attempt a shot until 3:30 was left in the first quarter.

Whether C-G was playing a man-to-man or zone defense, McHenry (12-9, 1-4) couldn’t seem to solve it. The Warriors committed 19 turnovers in the first half and were held scoreless in the second quarter, shooting 0 for 6 from the field.

“They did a great job pressuring the guards,” McHenry coach Scott Morris said. “Our guards really didn’t handle [pressure] that great.”

Yet McHenry kept it close by keeping the Trojans out of the lane and forcing C-G into contested jumpers. The Trojans shot just 22 percent in the first half and only led 14-6 at halftime.

But C-G put the game out of reach in the third quarter, knocking down 5 of 7 shots to extend the lead to 17 points. Freshman Katie Barker scored all 10 of her points in the second half, including two three-pointers.

“I told them to be patient and get the shot we want, and we started hitting a couple of outside shots,” Saffert said. “But it was the defense that really got us going.”

C-G led by at least 15 points throughout the fourth quarter and never surrendered more than eight points in any quarter. McHenry had 28 turnovers.

Lincicum led the Trojans with 11 points. Junior center Brittany Avonts had seven points and six rebounds for the Warriors.

Friday’s defensive clinic by C-G comes on the heels of a 47-26 win against Jacobs and sets up a matchup with Dundee-Crown on Wednesday that will showcase the Valley Division’s only two remaining undefeated teams.

“Dundee-Crown is definitely going to be a big game for us,” Lincicum said. “We’ve got to get pumped for that one.”