Belvidere picks up NIC-10 win

By Chris Johnson

REPORTER

The Belvidere Lady Bucs are trying to keep pace with the pack in the quickly-shifting NIC-10 race. A win over the Jefferson Lady J-Hawks on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 41-35, helped the squad find a little more rhythm on the way to claiming the day.

It would be a quick start that got things going for Belvidere.

In the first period alone, the scoring advantage reached a nearly two-to-one level as Jefferson was held to just six points in the period.

The second period was much more competitive as each team exchanged looks and took their chances from the line. The five-point lead Belvidere gained in the opening minutes grew slightly.

At the half, the Lady Bucs were in front 21-15.

As the teams broke from the huddle to enter the second half of play, a new focus was set in place. There would be no sustained runs there would be no extreme offensive displays. In the eight-minute window, each team scored 11 points. In the final period, each team scored nine.

Belvidere won the match 41-35 and picked up the much needed NIC-10 win. Neve Yerk scored 12 points to lead her Lady Bucs. She received support from Maya Smith who scored eight and Lauryn Baier who tacked on six of her own. Five other players scored for Belvidere in the win over Jefferson.

The victory won’t truly aid the Lady Bucs chances in striving for a NIC-10 title. However, it does help boost confidence. The numbers say Boylan has the conference fairly locked up, so it seems.

On Monday, Jan. 23, the Lady Bucs played host to the Freeport Lady Pretzels. Freeport is a squad very similar to Belvidere. Each team is pushing a three-win margin in the competitive NIC-10. Both teams can score quickly and can be equally susceptible to speed on the defensive side. With the match played on Monday, details are unavailable at this time.

On Thursday, Jan. 26, a big test waits for Belvidere. They will be home, and they will host the Hononegah Lady Indians. Less than a week later, they will have to deal with the high-powered offense of the Rockford East Lady E-Rabs. There is a lot of offense waiting for them to stop.

The winter sports regular season comes to an end on Feb. 9 as Belvidere plays at Rockford Guilford. Prior to that, the Lady Bucs will play at Harlem for the final time this season on Friday, Feb. 3.

The IHSA Class 3A Girls’ Basketball Playoffs begin the week of Feb. 13. The IHSA Selection Committee will meet during the first week of February to determine which teams in Belvidere’s complex get the highest seed and where they will play.

The two regional fill-in locations for the Maple Park Kaneland Class 3A Sectional will be located at Sterling and Rockford Lutheran.

Based on geographical convenience and not necessarily on presumed seeds, the Lady Bucs could start the state playoffs at the home of the Lady Crusaders in Rockford.