As the Minooka girls basketball team tries to figure out which lineup works best together on the floor, the Indians know they have one of the better starting guards around in senior Madelyn Kiper.

Kiper, a Kent State commit, delivered 28 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots Wednesday as Minooka recorded a 48-36 win over Joliet Central in the WJOL Tournament to improve to 2-0 in Group B play.

The Indians started the game on a 10-0 run and never looked back. Kiper had six of those 10 points, while Jaelle Hamilton and Naya Carter (9 points, 6 rebounds) each had a basket.

Nevaeh Wright scored all six points for the Steelmen (0-2) in the first quarter and Minooka took a 17-6 lead into the second.

Central outscored Minooka 11-9 in the second quarter, getting seven points from Wright, who led the Steelmen with 17, and four from Melani Tua-Link. Kiper was held to just a pair of free throws in the quarter, but the Indians got a basket each from Hamilton and Carter and three points from Kendall Thomas.

“We wanted to make sure we got everyone involved,” Kiper said. “We started out good in the first half, but slowed down a little. In the second half, we picked things up and we started running our plays on offense instead of trying to force things. We just had to relax and let the game come to us.

“A big thing for us tonight was rebounding. We got outrebounded Monday against JCA, and our goal tonight was to get 40 rebounds.”

The Indians finished with exactly 40 rebounds, while limiting Joliet Central to 31. The Minooka defense also forced the Steelmen into 15 turnovers.

In the third quarter, Kiper drained four 3-pointers - two at the start of the quarter and two at the end - to help her team pull away to a 43-27 lead entering the fourth. Elena Moody had six of her nine points in the third for the Steelmen.

“Our girls always play hard,” said Joliet Central assistant coach Derrick Martin, who was filling in for head coach Laura Brumfiel, who absent due to a family emergency. “Each and every time we go on the floor, I know our girls are going to play hard. They are going to fight until the final buzzer sounds.

“We know that Nevaeh is going to get her points. We are looking for some other girls to help out with scoring. It doesn’t have to be just one. If we can get contributions from someone different every game, that’s great. I though Elena Moody played well tonight. She brings a lot of energy and effort.”

Joliet Central was within 37-27 late in the third, but Kiper hit back-to-back 3-pointers to stretch the Minooka lead.

In the fourth, Minooka took a 48-31 lead on a 3-pointer by Kiper with just over 5 minutes to play. It was the last point Minooka scored as the Steelmen got a basket by Wright and a basket and free throw by Moody to provide the final margin.

“Credit Joliet Central for playing hard,” Minooka coach John Placher said. “We didn’t have our prettiest game, but a lot of it was because Joliet Central was playing tough defense and mucking things up. We struggled a little with their physicality and nothing was running smoothly.

“We were able to overcome that in the second half. Madelyn made a big difference. That’s what she does. She is a tough matchup for anybody. I thought sophomore Sadie Wedd did a great job, especially on defense. Wright had 13 in first half for them. We put Sadie on her in the second half and she only scored four. It’s only the second game of the season, and we are learning what we need to work on. The players that are new to the varsity are establishing their roles. We’ll keep getting better.”