Girls basketball: Batavia dominates third quarter in win over Naperville Central

BATAVIA – Batavia exploded for 34 third quarter points to overwhelm Naperville Central 63-38 in nonconference action on the Bulldogs’ home court Tuesday.

Paced by junior Addie Prewitt’s 14 points, Batavia posted its fourth victory in five attempts this season.

Naperville Central sophomore Erin Hackett led all scorers with 16 points, including four 3-pointers.

It was a close contest during the first two quarters.

Batavia led 12-10 after the first eight minutes. The Redhawks tied the game twice in the second quarter and took a 17-14 lead with 3:12 left in the half on a Hackett trey from the left wing.

The Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run to close out the second quarter to take a 26-19 lead at the intermission.

Prewitt started the streak with a bucket underneath. Kylee Gehrt (10 points) ended the run on a 3-pointer from the left corner with 30 ticks left on the clock.

“Addie Prewitt had an awesome game tonight on both sides of the floor. She passed the ball well, looking to score and made the right plays,” Batavia coach Kevin Jensen said. “She scored when she needed to score and passed when she needed to pass.”

Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum thought the first part of the game showed his young squad’s potential. The Redhawks (1-4) starting five features three underclassmen.

“That first half might be our best first half of the year, save the last three minutes. The first 13 minutes, we played like we see ourselves playing,” Nussbaum said. “I’m starting two freshmen and a sophomore, and they have to learn what varsity basketball is all about. I think we are getting better, but not as fast I would like. Tonight, we saw some definite progress.”

Batavia hit its stride in the third quarter on both sides of the court. The Bulldogs limited the Redhawks to four baskets and swished the net 14 times in the period for a 60-29 advantage to start the fourth quarter.

“We got into better positions (in the second half) and when we do that, we’re a pretty good defensive team,” Jensen said. “Early on, we were giving all the right effort, but we got ourselves caught in some spots that allowed them to move a little freely, bring the ball up a little bit easier than we had originally intended. That changed once we found our place and also started knocking down a few shots.”

The Bulldogs took Jensen’s halftime observations to heart, according to Prewitt.

“Mentally, we concentrated more on the game after halftime. Our halftime talk really hyped us up,” the junior said.

Sophomore reserve Samantha Jansey scored the Bulldogs’ final basket, a trey from the right wing with two minutes left on the clock.

Brooke Carlson scored 12 points for Batavia.

https://basketball.dailyherald.com/sports/20231128/batavia-stays-hot-against-inexperienced-naperville-central/