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After key graduations, Burlington Central had to find a way to replace an average of almost 30 points a game this season. The Rockets graduated Taylor Charles, now a freshman at Princeton, as well as Becca Carani and Rylie DuVall, who combined for 29.3 points a game.
Senior Page Erickson is among those stepping up. A three-year varsity player, Erickson now is getting her chance as a starter.
In the Rockets’ 44-17 win over Dundee-Crown on Dec. 2, Erickson had 12 points and four rebounds. Almost a week later in a 46-16 win over Crystal Lake Central, Erickson led Burlington Central with 17 points and four steals.
“I’ve had troubles in the past with confidence,” Erickson said. “I knew this year I needed to push through that and [Sam Origel, Emma Payton and I] mainly had to pick up more of the offensive [production].”
One way to work through becoming more confident on the court is simply being on it as much as possible.
“After practice, I stay and get a lot of shots up,” Erickson said. “Coach [Collin Kalamatas] is really good about seeing if I’m struggling, re-assuring me and giving me some confidence.”
Kalamatas characterizes Erickson as a “basketball junkie.”
“She plays year-round [for AAU]. She’s taken some big strides each year,” Kalamatas said. “We knew going into this year we’re going to have to have her, Sam Origel and Emma Payton all take larger steps into some bigger roles offensively. Page has been doing an awesome job with that. She rode the roller coaster a little bit earlier in the year with some good games, bad games, but she’s really starting to look like she’s getting more comfortable being our offensive leader out there.”
“I feel like I’m a pretty good all-around person on offense,” Erickson said. “I like driving to the lane. I’ll shoot open shots. In transition, I like driving to the hoop.”
Burlington Central’s Payton a ‘matchup problem’
Not to be overlooked is Emma Payton, a junior for Burlington Central.
Payton recently had nine points, nine rebounds and four steals for the Rockets in a 36-31 loss to Prairie Ridge on Dec. 9.
“She’s been shooting it well,” Kalamatas said. “She’s been knocking down quite a bit of outside shots for us. We’re really trying to get her in the mix a little bit around the basket because she does have that ability as a 6-foot, wing-type player. She can shoot it from the outside, but she can be a matchup problem, too, if we’re able to find her on the inside.
“We’re looking to find that balance being able to work her in and out. She’s kind of a similar situation to Page. She was a sophomore on varsity last year. Now is that next step of the progression in her game. She’s taken, actually, a really big leader role for our team as a junior. A lot of our kids really look up to her with some off the court stuff, too, so Emma has been a joy to be around.”
Stack ascending for St. Charles North
Katrina Stack’s 3-point shot certainly is an asset for St. Charles North.
Stack, a North Stars junior, had 17 points in a 65-44 loss to Geneva on Dec. 9. Fifteen of those points came in the second half from beyond the arc.
“She’s such a talented kid,” North Stars coach Mike Tomczak said. “She works so hard and there’s so many things that she does for a girl her size that other girls can’t do. I’m so proud of how she’s been able to grow as a player and as a person.”