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Bucs route North Boone in recent girls’ basketball matchup
The Belvidere Bucs and the North Boone Vikings faced off in a non-conference matchup last week.
The Bucs posed a tough challenge for the Vikings, who have struggled through much of the 2023-2024 girls basketball season. North Boone started the season with a 1-9 record. They didn’t earn their second win of the season until Dec. 13, when they beat South Beloit 43-32.
In recent weeks, the Vikings have been much improved, however. North Boone managed to end the 2023 year with a pair of victories. The first was another win over South Beloit, then the Vikings beat Harvard 39-33 in their last game of the year. After suffering a loss to Dixon in their first game of 2024, the Vikings quickly bounced back with a 56-38 victory over Richmond. It was an exciting time for the Vikings, as they went 3-1 over a four-game stretch.
Despite that, the Vikings still faced a daunting challenge when they traveled to Belvidere to face off with the Bucs on Jan. 8. The Bucs have experienced some streakiness of their own. After a three-game win streak in December, the Bucs went on to suffer a four-game skid to end 2023 and into the start of 2024. They managed to snap the losing streak with a pair of victories over Freeport and North Boone, however.
The victory over Freeport did not come easy. Late in the third quarter, the Bucs took a three-point advantage when Arianna LaBeau found Emma Pierson down low on a fast break. In the final minute of the quarter, Pierson hit a three-pointer from the left wing to put the Bucs up 39-33. Before the quarter came to an end, Kayla Beaudet reached out to steal a pass into the paint. Pierson grabbed the loose ball and took it the distance for a 41-33 advantage.
That third quarter proved to be crucial as Freeport would close the gap in the fourth. In the end, it was enough for the Bucs to come out on top as they picked up a 53-48 victory.
The win gave Belvidere an extra confidence boost ahead of their matchup against North Boone, which is something the Vikings didn’t need. In the very first quarter, Belvidere quickly worked up a double-digit lead.
LaBeau had a hot start. By attacking the paint and getting to the free throw line, LaBeau had five first-quarter points. Maggie Sternquist provided an early spark with a quick three-pointer and five first-quarter points of her own. Reem Aldi added a pair of her own baskets, as well.
North Boone did their best to keep pace with the red-hot Bucs. Mattison McCartney hit a pair of early baskets. Marlee Alderman made a couple trips to the free throw line, but she hit just one of her four attempts. Payten Turley successfully converted an early-and-one opportunity. Still, the Vikings found themselves trailing the Bucs 18-8 at the end of one.
The Bucs brought that same energy in the second quarter. In fact, they nearly replicated it as they outscored the Vikings 18-8 once again. LeBeau continued her big day with a pair of baskets and three free throws in the second. Aldi hit her first three-pointer as she added five second-quarter points of her own.
North Boone tried to rely on McCartney to provide the offense. McCartney did so by hitting a pair of baskets in the quarter. She also made a couple trips to the free throw line, but came out unsuccessfully, hitting zero of her three attempts. Daisy Persson hit a pair of her own baskets in the quarter, as well. If the Vikings could manage to find production from elsewhere, they might have been all right. With McCartney carrying a majority of the load, however, North Boone trailed 36-16 at the half.
In the second half, the Bucs didn’t let up. Their best quarter of the night came in the third, when they racked up 31 points as a team. Aldi caught fire from deep as she sunk a trio of three-pointers in the third. By the end of the fourth, Aldi had sunk four three-pointers on the night. LaBeau also continued her hot day with a three-pointer and seven points in the third. Pierson stepped up with nine points of her own in the quarter.
If the game wasn’t already out of reach, there was no way the Vikings could keep pace with that Belvidere offense. In the end, the Bucs picked up a dominant 72-29 victory over North Boone. Aldi led the Bucs in scoring with 21 points. LaBeau was the next leading scorer with 19, and Pierson was the third Buc in double figures with 14.
North Boone was led by McCartney, who finished with eight points in the game. Alderman was next up with five points, and Persson finished with four. The Bucs improved to 11-10 on the year, while the Vikings fell to 5-13.
