ROCKTON — Hononegah’s 3-point bombers have been turned inside out. The Indians’ first eight baskets in Friday’s 65-52 NIC-10 girls basketball victory over Belvidere came on layups.
“It’s shocked people a little bit,” 6-foot senior center Lindsay Lengjak (16 points) said. “Hononegah is known for 3s and people are surprised when we get in the paint. My word is saucing it up.”
Saucing it up?
“The girls laugh at me,” Lengjak said, “but I say saucing it up all the time. Getting in the middle is different, so saucing it up. Keeping it spicy.”
Hononegah used to win 20 games every year with a barrage of 3-pointers. Now, the formerly undersized Indians pound it inside to Lengjak and 6-3 freshman Nicole Smith (nine points).
“Nicole and Lindsay are the center of our offense,” said guard Erin Ryczek, who led Hononegah with 17 points.
Hononegah’s new style has kept the Indians (8-11, 5-1) in contention after graduating all five starters. “We are still a work in progress,” coach Randy Weibel said. “We’re still experimenting, but we have to score inside.”
Belvidere (5-12, 3-4) is in the experimental stage itself. A decade ago, the Bucs were an annual power. They’ve been a middle-of-the-pack team the past few years but are trying to move back up under first-year coach Darcee Baney, a former Harlem star. “It’s baby steps,” Baney said.
The Bucs threatened to take another step several times Friday. After a 10-0 run put Hononegah up 14-7, Belvidere tied it at 17, with Lauren Hyser scoring five points in an 8-1 run. Alexa Yerk kept the Bucs close by scoring all 11 of her points in the third quarter and Kayla Harris (10 points) tied it at 46 with a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter.
Smith and Ryczek then made two layups apiece to start a 10-0 run to help Hononegah pull away.
“We would get close and freak out,” Hyser said, “and think, ‘We’ve got to score again. We’ve got to score again.’ We didn’t stay in control and run the offense. If we had stuck together, we might have caught them, but we got a little out of control and a little scared.”
In the end, the Bucs couldn’t deal with Hononegah “saucing it up.”
“It’s a lot different,” Hyser (20 points) said. “We’re used to trying to not let them drive, rebounding and watching them shoot the 3 ball and drain it in our face all day. This is definitely a new game.”
- Matt Trowbridge, rrstar.com
