The Collinsville High School girls basketball team used a smothering defense to force 21 turnovers on its way to a 51-28 win Saturday over Granite City.
Aubreeney Brady grabs a loose ball / Photo by Roger Starkey
The Lady Kahoks (2-4 Southwestern Conference, 4-8) racked up 13 steals using a full-court press and stifling half-court defense. CHS converted the turnovers into 29 points.
Head Coach Lori Billy said her team has used the press effectively at times throughout the season and work on it frequently in practice. While she will not employ it against more athletic teams, she felt it could be a good weapon against the Lady Warriors.
“I knew their guards were smaller and with Julie (Scheiter) on top with her long arms, I thought it would be effective.”
Collinsville parlayed the 21 turnovers and 12 offensive rebounds into a 50-27 shot advantage over the Lady Warriors (1-5 SWC, 3-11), who lost their 10th straight contest. Granite City connected on only eight field goal attempts (29.6 percent). Collinsville made 22 of their 50 attempts (44 percent).
Guard Aubreeney Brady led the way for Collinsville, tallying seven of the Kahoks 13 steals. Brady knifed her way to 17 points on 8 of 9 shooting in only 20 minutes of play.
Billy said the style of play Saturday suited Brady’s game.
“When she can get up and pressure people and steal the ball like that…she has such great moves inside that are just natural. She was able to break down their zone and go to the hole,” Billy said. “I thought she was pretty fantastic tonight.”
Forward Samantha Buettner notched a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds, including six offensive boards. Buettner and Brady were the only Lady Kahoks to score in double digits. Billy found at least two minutes of playing time for 16 players Saturday, eight of whom scored.
Melanie Joyce led the Lady Warriors with 10 points and seven rebounds. Joyce was held to only three second-half points, all on free throws. She was only 3-8 from the charity stripe.
Collinsville raced out to a 14-4 lead after one quarter and a 28-14 halftime lead. The game was all but decided when Caitlyn Brombolich knocked down a shot with two seconds left in the third quarter to give the Lady Kahoks a 44-21 lead.
Scoring for Collinsville were: Brady-17, Buettner-13, Morgan-8 (and six rebounds), Smith-4, Giacoletto-3, Mahan-3, Brombolich-2, Rukavina-1.
The Lady Kahoks travel to Edwardsville for a 7:30 p.m. game Tuesday. The Tigers are 12-0 and ranked 3rd in the state in the Associated Press poll. Edwardsville beat Collinsville 81-23 on Dec. 9 at Fletcher Gym.
