Audrey LaFleur and Julia Scheuer connected on a perfectly timed pick-and-roll play midway through the third quarter of Burlington Central’s Fox Valley Conference matchup against Hampshire.

LaFleur drove around a screen from Scheuer, who dove to the hoop and converted a short-range floater for two of her game-high 24 points. The scoring play was emblematic of Burlington Central’s stellar ball movement Monday evening, as the Rockets assisted on 19 made field goals during their 69-59 victory over the Whip-Purs.

“Our team chemistry is really good in general, so I think we all see the court very well,” said Scheuer, who added five assists and five rebounds in the win. “We’re able to know where everyone is and we’re able to see those open looks. This was definitely a big win going into the second half of conference. This is a good start.”

Three players finished with five assists for the Rockets (14-8, 8-2 FVC), who capped off the third quarter with a buzzer-beating layup from Scheuer to take a 49-41 lead. Scheuer finished a pass from senior guard Ashley Waslo, who found her in transition as the final seconds wound down. Scheuer made 12 field goals in the win.

“I thought we pushed the ball and we didn’t let their defense set up,” said LaFleur, who totaled 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. “That opened up a lot for us. We pushed it right away and we pushed it all the way down the court instead of letting them set up their defense. That’s crucial to scoring our transition points.”

Freshman Scarlett LaFleur sent out five first-half assists for the Rockets, who trailed 16-14 after one quarter. Both teams showed full-court pressure to start the game, which created easy layups and turnovers for each side. Veronica Dumoulin made three shots, including a 3-pointer, to spark the Hampshire offense early.

“My teammates really bring the energy on the court,” Dumoulin said. “They have a lot of confidence in me and our energy really motivates everyone. Encouragement really fuels us. We wanted to move the ball quickly, look for open players, cut and keep moving.”

Sophomore Jiselle Lopez buried a pair of first-half triples for the Whips, but the Rockets turned momentum with their 10-0 run late in the second quarter. A transition layup by Scarlett LaFleur gave Burlington Central a 27-25 lead and Kelsey Covey, who finished with 10 points off the bench, drained two triples in the quarter.

Hampshire controlled the glass in the first half, outrebounding the Rockets 13-8. But Burlington Central was sharing the basketball, assisting on 11 field goals during that span. Audrey LaFleur’s pick-and-roll pass to Scheuer in the third quarter helped the Rockets take an eight-point lead, which held steady for most of the half.

“Our effort was there,” said Mikala Amegasse, who had 17 points and five rebounds for the Whips. “Sometimes when we’re down, we can kind of go in different ways, but I was proud of us tonight. Even if we didn’t pull out the win, I thought we did a good job of staying together. We need to sprint back, work hard and know that if a girl has a bunch of points, then we need to zone in on that.”

Dumoulin drilled a 3-pointer and junior guard Peyton McCarthy followed with a left-handed layup to bring Hampshire within four points early in the fourth quarter. The Rockets answered with their transition offense, though, as Scheuer finished a layup and Waslo knocked down a big triple to stretch the Burlington Central lead.

Amegasse, who scored most of her points in the second half, did her best to keep the Whips within striking distance. Using a strong dribble drive, Amegasse drew multiple fouls and sank seven free throws in the second half. It wasn’t enough, however, as a layup and free throws from Scarlett LaFleur helped clinch the Rocket win.

“Sometimes the shots aren’t going to fall or I’m not going to get exactly what I want on offense, but I trusted my teammates,” Amegasse said. “Everybody’s really selfless and I know they have my back all of the time, so I kept going and I didn’t give up.”

Dumoulin posted 17 points, five rebounds and two assists for the Whips (10-12, 5-5 FVC), who will face Prairie Ridge on the road Wednesday night. McCarthy recorded 11 points and two rebounds, while Lopez totaled 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Waslo posted seven points, four rebounds and two assists to aid Burlington Central, which hosts McHenry on Wednesday before traveling to Crystal Lake Central on Friday. Scarlett LaFleur tallied six points and three rebounds to go along with her five assists.