Girls Basketball notes: Becca Carani realizes her goal as Burlington Central starter

Daughter of a coach, junior guard is third on Rockets in scoring

Becca Carani made a goal sheet during her sophomore season on varsity.

“I had a lot of really talented seniors on the team, so my role was kind of small,” Carani said. “I wanted [coach Collin Kalamatas] to understand, this next season ... I wanted him to know what I was really looking forward to do and what goals I wanted to accomplish by then, so then he could help me accomplish them.”

One goal was to become a starter, which she now is alongside Elana Wells, Taylor Charles, Avery Anderson and Rylie Duval.

“I remember [one goal was] contributing in games, even if it’s not scoring,” said Carani, a 5-foot-8 junior guard. “Just contributing with rebounds, steals [and] assists.”

For her senior year, a goal is to be a captain.

For now, Carani is building on a solid season for the Rockets (9-1, 6-0). She is third on the team in scoring, averaging 10 points per game, and leads the team in field-goal percentage (57%) and 3-point field-goal percentage (56%).

Carani’s father, Mike, is the girls basketball coach at Elgin Academy.

“She’s a perfect role player in that she doesn’t try to do too much and she definitely doesn’t hide out there either,” Kalamatas said. “She makes her impact in the four to six shots that she gets a game and she definitely makes the most of it. She gets the most out of her game than anyone we probably have. That’s not to say she’s not a talented kid. She works on her game a lot. ... She’s the daughter of the coach. She definitely has a lot of those traits. She impacts the game in a lot of ways.”

Those impacts on the game include deflections, hustling for loose balls and snagging rebounds.

“Both Elana and Taylor like to get out in transition and push the ball, which is something I feel like I kind of can get opportunities to score from,” Carani said.

Shot selection, Carani said, is important. Capitalizing on set plays or ball screens is helping produce the stellar 3-point shooting percentage.

“The 3-point shooting is just all icing on the [cake] in terms of what she can really do on the floor,” Kalamatas said.

Batavia looks to get back on track

Despite consecutive losses to DuKane Conference opponents St. Charles North and Wheaton North the past week, Alyssa Sarik and her Batavia teammates are still a strongly connected team.

“We all work very well together,” said Sarik, a junior. “When the game is fast-paced, we tend to lose focus and start struggling as a whole. We never let those types of losses defeat us as a team.”

Slowing down the pace and taking time to refocus on the game, Sarik said, could lead to a better outcome.

“We have a variety of players who have a powerful role on the team, and that’s what gives us the potential to fight back,” Sarik said.

As of Feb. 27, Sarik was averaging just shy of five points and three rebounds per game. Sarik, a 5-foot-6 guard, also was averaging 2.2 steals and had a team-best 14 deflections.

“I’ve definitely gotten better at defense because of our practices and we all challenge each other, which helps a ton,” Sarik said. “I also got more confident and comfortable with my ball handling and my shooting as well because of my teammates and coaches who have pushed me to keep working the last couple years.”

One teammate who perhaps deserves more credit for Sarik’s impact on the team is senior Morgan Haug.

“[Haug] has been on this team for four years and tore her ACL her sophomore year, which led her to sit her sophomore season,” Sarik said. “She is an all-around great player [and] teammate. She never let her injury stop her from affecting her time left with basketball.”