A locker room talk allowed senior forward Olivia Leuze and Cary-Grove to find their spark during Tuesday evening’s Fox Valley Conference girls basketball game against Burlington Central.

After she was held to one point in the first half, Leuze took the game over during the third quarter, controlling the offensive glass and using her 6-foot-1-inch frame to gain deep post position. The senior put home a team-best six field goals, all in the third quarter, and finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds in a 42-35 victory.

“We were all struggling a little bit in the first half,” Leuze said. “In the locker room, we talked about how we were a better team than that. We regrouped, and I thought that got me going. ... It’s a big win, and I think this will lead us in the right direction for the rest of the season. We’re coming off of a few wins at our Christmas tournament, and we’re ready to take the rest of the conference on.”

It’s the first conference loss of the season for Burlington Central (10-6, 4-1 FVC), which has dropped five of its last seven games after a run of six straight wins. Defense dominated the first half, as both teams fought to find their offensive rhythm early on. Senior guard Malaina Kurth, who scored seven of her 11 points in the first half, provided a boost for Cary-Grove (10-4, 3-2 FVC).

“We had the mindset that if we win the rest of our conference games, then our team can win the conference,” Kurth said. “It was a big step forward to beat Burlington Central. Our team was a very crucial part of my run, and that gave us some confidence. It’s a big confidence boost, but we just have to go one game at a time.”

C-G slipped ahead 11-10 after the first quarter, where sophomore guard Jayden Sopata-Rahn drilled a 3-pointer as the final seconds wound down. With the game deadlocked at 14-14 and roughly two minutes left in the half, C-G’s Aria Stanton laid the ball in through contact before a free throw and a breakaway layup from Burlington Central’s Julia Scheuer put the Rockets up 17-16 at the buzzer.

“Defense is a big thing we focus on during practice,” said Scheuer, who scored seven of her nine points in the first half and added seven rebounds in the game. “We’ve been in a rut over the past few games, so it was about our desire to get out of it. As a team, I think that if we all put the effort in, then the results will come.”

With Leuze establishing her presence in the third quarter, C-G retook the lead and surged ahead by as many as eight points. On the other end, Burlington Central guard Audrey LaFleur did her best to keep the Rockets in the game, driving to the hoop for a pair of tough layups with her left hand. LaFleur finished with a team-high 13 points and grabbed four rebounds for the Rockets in the game.

“When my shots aren’t falling, I drive,” LaFleur said. “If I don’t have a lot of people to pass the ball to, I’ll look at the scoreboard and I’ll drive the ball, even if my shot gets blocked. I think we need to work together more and understand what each person’s strength is so we can kick the ball out and get a good shot.”

Kurth and Leuze ignited a 7-0 C-G run late in the third quarter that helped the Trojans carry a 33-28 advantage into the fourth quarter. Junior guard Kelsey Covey, who led all bench scorers with seven points, buried a triple off an inbounds pass midway through the fourth quarter to aid the Rockets, who came within four points thanks to stifling traps and full-court defense down the stretch.

The Trojans, despite burning all of their timeouts, came out on top, as senior guard Kennedy Manning finished a breakaway layup off a C-G steal and converted the free throw on the foul to ice the win. Manning compiled seven points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Trojans, who extended their winning streak to six games.

Senior guard Ashley Waslo nabbed six rebounds for the Rockets, who will host Dundee-Crown for an FVC game on Friday night. Junior forward Avery Hoffman also snagged six rebounds for the Trojans, who will travel and face Hampshire in FVC play Friday.