Sports

Tuck's 28 Points Spurs Bolingbrook Win Over Joliet Central

Morgan Tuck scored a season-high 28 points and the Lady Raiders held the Joliet Central Steelmen scoreless in the first quarter en route to a 77-22 win Tuesday night.

Morgan Tuck had a heck of a game Monday night against Montini—one of the best of her high school career—scoring 23 points in .

Apparently, Tuck’s performance was just a teaser.

The Lady Raiders’ standout junior forward scored 16 first-quarter points, finished with a season-high 28 points and fueled the girls basketball team to its seventh straight win, this one a dominating 77-22 victory over Joliet Central Tuesday night.

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Tuck also chipped in with four assists, four rebounds, four steals and a rare 3-pointer before Bolingbrook coach Tony Smith opted to rest her for the remainder of the game early in the third quarter.

Not too bad for a bit more than a half day's work.

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“We like to start from the inside-out first,” Smith said. “That is what we always do. We try to get the inside going with Morgan (Tuck) and (junior forward Nia Moore) and (junior forward Cabriana Capers). If we can get those going, then we can try to get it out to our outside shooters.”

The were even more dominant than the final score suggests.

Bolingbrook bolted to a 32-0 lead in the first quarter and held the Steelmen scoreless until a fast-break layup by junior center LaSoji Ward finally put Joliet Central on the board with just less than 3 minutes left in the second quarter.

By the end of the first half, Bolingbrook had built a 48-3 lead. And not until Smith began to play his reserves did the Steelmen begin to put up some points—12 in the third quarter and seven in the fourth.

Bolingbrook used its tenacious defense——to block any type of passing lanes for Joliet Central.

In the first half alone, the Lady Raiders had 14 steals—five from senior guard Ariel Massengale.

Massengale would finish the game with 10 points, five assists and seven steals.

“We have expectations that we want to live up to every single night and sometimes that means that we are going to take a team out back and (beat them bad),” Smith said. “We have to maintain that focus and our standards of play, and not let it drop just because we are playing a team that is not as good as a team (from the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, Ariz.) or wherever.”

The Lady Raiders are officially flying high having outscored their last four opponents by a combined 358-133. Since losing two straight games in Phoenix, the Lady Raiders have averaged 82.5 points per game while allowing just 42.5 points against per game.

Tuck said following up Monday’s big win over Montini was mentally tough, but she gave credit to Smith for keeping the team focused.

“Sometimes it’s hard to keep our focus,” she said. “Yesterday’s game was really big and we had to be really focused, but this game was kind of not as hard and we might not have had to be as focused to win. But Coach Smith keeps us focused and is always telling us to better the next game.”

Tuck, a University of Connecticut recruit, said her 16 first-quarter points weren’t exactly the game plan from the onset. On any given night, she said, the Lady Raiders look toward the hot hand.

“It’s not essential for me to start out the scoring, it’s really whoever is hot or making the layups,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s me or (Massengale) or (senior forward Taylor Tuck). So long as somebody is getting the layups, it is just as good as me getting it.”

GAME NOTES: Joliet Central missed six free throws before finally scoring its first points of the game. …  Steelmen junior forward Brianna Marble led all Joliet Central shooters with 12 points. … Capers came off the bench to score eight points and add three steals.

UP NEXT: Bolingbrook at Lincoln-Way East, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.


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