Belvidere North sits mid-pack few games back

By Chris Johnson

REPORTER

The direction the Belvidere North Lady Blue Thunder are heading continues to be heavily influenced on how well they are playing within the NIC-10 itself. The basketball season enters its second half as December comes to a close for Belvidere North and, so far this season, they are hanging around and still winning the “winnable” matches.

Since Tuesday, Nov. 29 the Lady Blue Thunder team carries a 4-2 mark against fellow members of the NIC-10. Losses to Hononegah on Friday, Dec. 2, 74-42, and East on Friday, Dec. 16, 49-41, proved to be contests that supported Belvidere North’s position.

With one loss each, Hononegah and East are very much alive in the race for the NIC-10 title. Both teams sit one game behind Rockford Boylan. Belvidere North is hanging around with a 4-2 mark, just two games back.

The match against the East Lady E-Rabs was expected to be a serious challenge for Belvidere North. Few teams have had their best games of the season when they faced East. The E-Rabs played physical and fast through the first period and held a four-point lead heading into the second, 14-10. Belvidere North turned the tables in the second and outpaced the E-Rabs by the same mark. At the half, the game was knotted at 25.

Belvidere North played strong in the third quarter as East struggled to score. The Lady Blue Thunder grabbed the five-point lead 37-32 and moved to the fourth with the possibility of an upset-win still waiting.

East was too fast in the fourth. They ran past Belvidere North and shot the ball from multiple angles. The Lady Blue Thunder were held to four points offense in the final period and fell after giving up 17 to the home team.

East moved forward in the NIC-10 with the 49-41 and pushed Belvidere North two games back of the lead.

The schedule resumes with NIC-10 action on Friday, Jan. 6 as Belvidere North jumps right into the action in a home game against the Boylan Lady Titans. A trip to Belvidere waits on Tuesday, Jan. 10.

The NIC-10 focus becomes more clearly-captured beginning Friday, Jan. 20 in a battle with the Jefferson Lady J-Hawks. The match will be a warm-up for the Tuesday, Jan. 24 rematch with Rockford East.

Harlem sits on the schedule for a visit to Belvidere North on Friday, Jan. 27 and the month closes for the Lady Blue Thunder at Boylan High School.

The regular season winds down following a week of games featuring Guilford on Friday, Feb. 3 at Belvidere North, before a trip is required to face Hononegah in what could be a conference-deciding contest. A match at home against the Freeport Lady Pretzels will occur on Thursday, Feb. 9 with the state tournament to begin the following week.