Girls basketball: Quinn Carrier leads surge as Sycamore tops DeKalb

DeKALB – Sycamore’s 58-41 win over DeKalb Friday night at the NIU Convocation Center definitely was a team effort as four Spartans finished in double figures.

And again, 3-point shooting dominated Sycamore’s offense. Twelve of the Spartans’ 19 buckets were from beyond the arc.

The first quarter was a spirited battle between the two teams with two ties and three lead changes in the frame. Precious French’s layup with 1:24 left in the quarter put DeKalb up 11-9. Monroe McGhee (12 points) responded with a 3-pointer from the right wing, giving the Spartans a 12-11 advantage at the buzzer.

“We came out ready to play. The first quarter was a good one. We were battling and getting stops,” DeKalb coach Brad Bjelk said.

It was the 16th straight win for Sycamore against DeKalb and the 10th straight at the Convocation Center, although it was a back-and-forth contest for most of the first half.

The back and forth continued into the second quarter with the Barbs tying the contest twice in the period but were unable pull ahead. A French layup with 3:24 left in the half knotted the game at 16. It was the last tie of the contest.

Sycamore (17-9) closed the half with an 11-2 run to take a 27-18 lead at intermission. Freshman Quinn Carrier scored nine of her 11 points, all on 3s, during the string.

“Quinn got us going in the second quarter. She hit some really big 3s, and we got some momentum on our side,” Sycamore coach Adam Wickness said. “I also thought defensively we did a really good job in the first half.”

Carrier said DeKalb’s interior defense led Sycamore to rely on its outside shooting.

“They crashed the middle a lot, but the outside 3 was always open,” the freshman said.

The Spartans continued to widen their lead in the third quarter. Lexi Carlsen’s free throw at the 4:41 mark gave Sycamore a 15-point advantage 36-21.

An Ella Russell 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:14 left in the period sparked a 10-0 DeKalb run. A basket and two free throws by Alicia Johnson (nine points) pulled the Barbs within eight at 36-28. Cayla Evans converted a Sycamore turnover into a layup. The senior, who was fouled on the score, made it a three-point play by sinking the free throw. DeKalb (14-12) now trailed by only five at 36-31.

Wickness called a timeout.

“There were a couple of things we weren’t doing very well. We made a couple of turnovers that led to easy buckets, and all of sudden the score goes from a 15-point lead to a five-point one,” the Sycamore coach said. “We reminded the girls what the goals were and what the keys were.”

Sycamore responded to their coach’s pep talk with two quick three-point baskets by Megan Bannon and McGhee. Bannon led all scorers with 14 points. Sycamore started the fourth quarter with a more comfortable 42-33 lead.

“We got it to five just off defense - being more aggressive and attacking the basket,” Bjelk said about the rally. “We were able to swing the momentum a little bit, but we were unable to overcome the lead that they had.”

Senior Sophia Klacik (13 points) opened the fourth quarter by draining two of her three 3s that put the Spartans back in control.

Kezaria Mitchell scored nine points for DeKalb, while French had seven.