By Dennis Bowling
Peotone senior Jenna Hunter and junior Madison Schroeder each have very good memories. They especially remember clearly last February, when Prairie Central beat the Blue Devils, 49-43, in the Class 2A Reed-Custer Regional title game.
In this encounter, Hunter and Schroeder each came out with fire in their eyes and were able to turn the tables on the Lady Hawks on January 21.
Schroeder finished with a team-high 22 points, while Hunter registered 20 points and had 15 rebounds, to help the Blue Devils rout the Lady Hawks, 69-42, before a very supportive crowd of Blue Devil fans, in a non-conference battle in Peotone.
With the win, Peotone is 20-0 overall as of January 21. It marked the best season record in Blue Devil Coach Steve Strough’s 15 years of coaching. Hunter and Schroeder each were delighted to gain sweet revenge on the Lady Hawks.
“This was revenge,” said a happy Hunter. “It just was not going to happen again. Madison was popping shots in from everywhere, and no one could guard her. We want to be 20-0. We’re a very good team.”
“We knew we could beat Prairie Central,” said a joyful Schroeder. “We came out with fire in our eyes and played our game. It feels really great to be able to beat them. Jenna had a great game and blocked many shots, too.”
At half time, the Lady Hawks and the Blue Devils were tied at 29-all. In the third quarter, Peotone’s offense simply blew Prairie Central right out of the gym. They managed to outscore the Lady Hawks by an impressive 26-8 count. At the close of the stanza, Peotone owned a commanding 55-37 lead. Prairie Central simply waved the white flag of surrender, as they could not stop the Blue Devils.
“We knew this was going to be a game of scoring,” said a very happy Peotone Coach Steve Strough. “They came back and rallied to close out the first half and, in the third quarter, we made our shots. Our offense was making very good decisions. “
“We had an opportunity to play a very talented team,” he continued. “We want to be the best we can be.”
Highlights of the third quarter rally included a pair of treys from the Blue Devils Addie Graffeo and Madyson Kibelkis (19 points), and one trey from Schroeder.
“It is just awesome to beat them,” said Graffeo, who finished with six points and six steals. “It’s a great feeling. We all are very happy to beat them. Madison had a great game and was hitting all her shots, while Jenna made that basket from the sitting position. We are just a very good team.”
To begin the third quarter, Hunter, who was tied up diving for a loose ball and from a sitting position, made a basket for a 31-29 lead. Then, Schroeder made a free throw to make it 32-29. A Graffeo trey pushed the advantage to 35-29, which was followed by a Kibelkis trey making the score 38-31. Hunter’s power rebound bucket pushed the lead to 40-31.
Moments later, a Schroeder basket and a Kibelkis trey made the count 45-35. A Graffeo trey swished through the net, and the Blue Devils owned a 48-35 advantage. Schroeder made a free throw and extended the margin to 49-37. Then, Schroeder and Kibelkis each made back-to-back treys to close out the stanza scoring for a 55-37 advantage.
Additional Peotone players contributing on the night included Ashley Renwick, who had a basket and five rebounds, and Marissa Velasco, who had six rebounds for the Blue Devils.