By Dennis Bowling
Following a recent break, Peotone Coach Steve Strough could sense the Blue Devils were just not putting their best foot forward, but Peotone junior Madison Schroeder came out amped up and provided plenty of offensive energy to help the Blue Devils do very well on January 5.
Schroeder, a 5’-10” outstanding guard, registered a team-high 19 points and had seven rebounds, to help Peotone beat Wilmington, 50-36, in an Illinois Central Eight Conference contest in Peotone.
“I had a great game and was feeling good,” said a happy Schroeder. “We put in the effort and were able to push through it. Our offense did very well.”
In the first quarter, Schroeder drove to the basket, passed the ball to her teammates, and was aggressive around the basket. As a result, at the close of the first stanza, the Blue Devils had a 17-10 lead. Schroeder did lots of heavy lifting and scored nine points.
At the close of the second quarter, Peotone had a comfortable 27-19 half time lead. Then in the third quarter, Peotone came out strong, outscoring the Wildcats (6-9, 2-3) by a 12-2 count to hold a 39-21 lead, which led to the win.
Peotone’s Jenna Hunter’s (six points, six rebounds) basket made it 29-19. A Schroeder layup bucket pushed the advantage to 31-19, and a Hunter jump shot basket pushed the margin to 33-19.
Addie Graffeo’s (nine points, five steals) trey made it 36-21, while Marissa Velasco’s three-point play pushed the margin to 39-21, with the Blue Devils owning a 39-29 lead at the end of the stanza.
Coach Strough was very happy with Velasco’s play, and said, “Marissa finished very well. She was a real presence on the boards, and it was a solid game for her.”
“They played a nice game,” he continued. “We just got back from our break, but we can play even better.”
Senior Velasco, a 5’-11” forward, had 13 points and 10 rebounds, noting “I did well, although I do feel rusty. We were able to pick up our play, but we did look tired.”
With 3:30 to go in the game, Peotone was clinging to a 43-36 lead. Then the Blue Devils’ Mady KIbellkis’ (seven points, six rebounds) pair of free throws made it 45-36. A Schroeder bucket pushed the margin to 47-36, which was followed by a Velasco free throw, making it 48-36. Schroeder’s basket sent the Blue Devils fans home happy.
The Lady Blue Devils are 15-0 overall, plus 6-0 and in first place in ICE. The team has won 25 conference contests in a row!
In the junior varsity contest, Peotone edged Wilmington, 22-20. Emma Orzel led with eight points, while Addison Brandau and Allie Walsh each added four points for Peotone.
