Lady Bucs battle back Marengo in non-conference play

By Chris Johnson

REPORTER

The Belvidere Lady Bucs enjoyed a 49-34 win over the Marengo Lady Indians on Wednesday, Dec. 16, as they worked through the non-conference portion of the early winter sports season.

With a scheduled game against North Chicago in the books, an eleven-point loss to McHenry can already be forgotten. The attention can shift back to the issues at hand.

Figuring out how to beat teams like Rockford Guilford, Boylan, and Hononegah becomes a primary concern as the halfway point approaches.

To have a shot at influencing how those chasing Boylan fare this season, the Lady Bucs will have to improve upon the portion of their game that can give them the edge. Being able to effectively communicate and understand each player’s role on the team will help winning streaks grow and losing streaks dissolve.

Winning streaks and the often-trailing losing streaks may not always be avoidable.

In the early portion of a season, it’s expected some work will have to be done. The successful teams will find a way to consistently work on improving themselves and taking note of any discernable deficiencies. The 2016 portion of the season is almost at a close, and that means more than half of the regular season is soon to be firmly affixed in the ledger. The Lady Bucs know they have to win within the NIC-10.

On Monday, Dec. 19, the Lady Bucs traveled to Stephenson County for a scheduled meeting with the Freeport Lady Pretzels. Details of that contest are unavailable at this time. The schedule reflects a holiday break and a turn back towards the NIC-10 when January 2017 arrives.

On Friday, Jan. 6, one of the teams that is making a lot of noise as they try to track down Boylan and other leaders within the NIC-10, the East E-Rabs, appear on the schedule for Belvidere.

A neighbor pays a visit later in the week. On Friday, Jan. 10, Belvidere North will visit before invitational play takes the attention of many teams, as the Martin Luther King Memorial Holiday Tournaments are held.

A final non-conference regular-season match will be played on Monday, Jan. 16 as the Marengo Lady Indians open a four-game home stand for Belvidere. The stay at home also includes appearances from Jefferson, Freeport, and Hononegah.

The Lady Bucs are back on the road to close January as they get another shot at the Lady E-Rabs on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Back-to-back road games help close the regular season for Belvidere as they play at Harlem on Friday, Feb. 3 and visit Guilford on Thursday, Feb. 9.