Ariana Smith makes big shots again for DeKalb in win over Hinckley-Big Rock

HINCKLEY – For the second straight day, Ariana Smith came up big from long range as the DeKalb girls basketball team scored 17 straight at one point in a 56-48 win against Hinckley-Big Rock on Saturday.

After hitting a 3-pointer to force overtime in a win at Waubonsie Valley on Friday, Smith scored eight straight points in the third quarter, part of a larger 17-0 run between the second and third quarters in which the Barbs (6-6) took the lead for good.

“I think it all starts off with our defense to be honest,” said Smith, who finished with 13 points for DeKalb. “If we don’t pick it up on defense, we can’t get on offense. Once we picked up after halftime, then our shots started falling and everything was good.”

The Royals (6-8) built an eight-point lead after a bucket by Sydney Razo-Ewan off a Tessa Prellberg steal made the lead 27-19 with 2:48 left in the second. But the Barbs scored the last five of the quarter, including two jumpers by Natalie Rosenow.

Rosenow finished with a team-best 15 for DeKalb, most of them coming from mid-range jumpers. DeKalb coach Mark Sykes said he always encourages his players to shoot, and while he’d prefer layups, Rosenow kept the Barbs in the game with what the Royals defense was giving them.

“I’d prefer a layup, but if that’s not happening...” Sykes said. “Rosenow shot the ball great in the first half from mid-range, and that was important to at least keep us in it to come back out in the third quarter, establish our defense, and go from there.”

Rosenow opened the third with another jumper before Smith hit 3s on back-to-back possessions then followed with a jumper. Kailey Porter capped the run with a pair of free throws off a steal to build the lead to 36-27 with 5:49 left in the third.

“When [Smith] catches the ball she’s ready to shoot and she can shoot it all day long,” Sykes said. “That’s what we tell all the kids. If you’re ready to shoot the basketball, let her go. She had a big 3 last night and she hit some big 3s today. We’d like to get some more layup opportunities but when those 3-pointers come we’re not going to turn them away.”

The Royals got to within 52-46 with 3:44 left, but the defenses took over and neither team scored for more than two minutes until a layup by Amina Gray pushed the Barbs’ lead to eight with 1:14 left

Hinckley-Big Rock coach Doug Brewington said the stretch early in the third quarter was brutal.

“We had a lot of good energy and we battle,” Brewington said. “We played hard, we just lacked execution for about 2 minutes. We were the better team for 30 of 32 minutes, but those two minutes we weren’t it got away from us.”

With the lead at halftime, Brewington said his team didn’t come out as strong as possible.

“We came out I think a little overconfident,” Brewington said. “I told the girls we have to keep that intensity. That’s how we make up the difference with bigger schools is that we play harder. We came out thinking we were going to feel each other out, and they came out and hit us in the mouth and we didn’t know how to respond. Probably on me for not getting the timeout sooner and cooling off that run, but ultimately they came out with more energy in the second half.”

By the numbers: Prellberg left the game in the third with an injury, but had 16 points, five rebounds and six steals for the Royals. Avery Zabel added nine points and nine rebounds, while Ashleigh Wackerlin added 12 for Hinckley-Big Rock. Porter finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks for the Barbs. Gray had seven points, four rebounds and three steals.

Beyond the stats: Prellberg was hurt in the third quarter when the back of her head slammed against the floor during a tussle for a loose ball. She didn’t return. Brewington said he wasn’t sure of her condition yet, but she was going to be checked out. He added it didn’t look good and she may be done for the rest of the year.

They said it: “I was hoping we’d come out with a little more firepower but you take what you get,” Sykes said. “Last night, they expended a lot of effort and playing with seven wins, it was a team win. Ari hit a big shot but it took a pass and a play together. I’m proud of the kids for that effort and they’ve gotten better all season long. Hey, we’ve gotten better every week. And that’s all I can ask for. This six-week stretch has been a blessing just to play basketball, to get the opportunity to be with a new coach and a new coaching staff and see what we can do next week and see how we can finish the season.”

Up next: The Royals are at Serena on Monday, while DeKalb hosts Naperville Central on Tuesday.