Galesburg High School
Galesburg girls win 24th game in rout of Geneseo
It was another strong performance for the Galesburg girls basketball team, which had nearly every part of its game clicking in a 70-21 win over Geneseo at John Thiel Gymnasium.
The Silver Streaks put the game away early, scoring 25 points in the first quarter while holding Geneseo to six. Galesburg’s defense forced a string of turnovers, and the offense capitalized with breakaways and layups.
Senior Lily Furrow led the way with a season-high 19 points, including eight in the opening quarter. She also made an impact defensively with forced turnovers and rebounds.
“I knew I could do some things that maybe I wouldn’t do in other games,” Furrow said. “I was trying it out, and it ended up working OK. I was attacking hard to the basket, trying to score and get my teammates involved, and it worked out really well.”
With one home game remaining, Furrow said she wanted to make Senior Night memorable.
“I wanted to go out with a bang,” she said. “I wanted people to see what we can do and what I can do — not just the small things.”
Galesburg continued its pressure in the second quarter, outscoring the Maple Leafs 17-8. Five of Geneseo’s eight points came from the free-throw line as head coach Lexi Demott began rotating players off the bench.
“I was trying to work some different things out and see some different lineups,” Demott said. “We’ve been toying with things in practice, and I wanted to see what it looked like live against someone else instead of our own team.”
The Silver Streaks continued to build their lead in the second half, outscoring Geneseo 14-3 in the third quarter and 13-4 in the fourth.
The win improved Galesburg’s record to 24-3 overall and 10-2 in the Western Big 6 Conference, one game behind Quincy. The teams split their season series, with each having two conference games remaining.
Galesburg hosts United Township at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, before closing the regular season at Rock Island on Feb. 12. Quincy travels to Sterling and hosts United Township in its final conference games.
“We have a shot, but everything has to go perfect,” Furrow said. “We’ll see. What happens is what happens.”
Demott said the remaining games will be used to continue improving before the postseason.
“We have to continue to get better,” she said. “There’s no point in the season where you can stand still, especially this close to postseason. We’re going to keep working and hopefully get another look at some things on Saturday.”
Galesburg scoring: Furrow 19, Eleanor Johnson 13, Jozalyn Kilgore 10, Ella Herchenroder 6, Izzy Kennedy 5, Taylor Herchenroder 4, Zaniyah Carter 4, Grace Herchenroder 3, Sophia Kisler 2, Khloe May 2, Olivia Springer 2.
Geneseo: Leah Cooper 5, Bella Brown 4, Brooklyn Ruby 4.
Carl Sandburg College
Sandburg women tie for first in Arrowhead Conference
The Carl Sandburg College women’s basketball team earned a 71-52 win at Highland on Feb. 5, moving into a tie for first place in the Arrowhead Conference.
Camryn Atterberg and Antonia Kisler each recorded double-doubles, and Hailey Redding scored a team-high 19 points as Sandburg defeated the Cougars.
Sandburg’s win, combined with Sauk Valley’s 74-72 loss at Black Hawk, pulled the Chargers even with the Skyhawks atop the conference standings at 6-1. Three games remain on the Arrowhead schedule, including Sandburg hosting Sauk Valley on Feb. 12.
The Chargers, who have won five of their last six games overall, led 23-15 after one quarter and 42-31 at halftime.
Atterberg finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds, along with five assists, three steals and three blocks. The freshman from Keokuk, Iowa, pulled down 10 offensive rebounds and now has four double-doubles this season, three in the last six games.
Kisler went 4-for-8 from 3-point range and totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season.
Redding knocked down three 3-pointers on her way to 19 points. Tiera Hall added nine points and eight rebounds for Sandburg.
Sandburg plays at Illinois Valley at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 10.