Chloe Rowe, Plano get physical, turn away Johnsburg

PLANO – Intended or not, Chloe Rowe wore uniform accessories Monday that fit her game.

Plano’s sophomore forward had a brace on her right knee from a travel softball injury. A band on her right bicep was to stop the bleeding for a cut from someone’s nail.

Rowe’s mouthguard? Well, that’s a staple.

“So I don’t break my teeth,” Rowe said with a laugh. “I get very physical.”

[ Photos: Plano vs. Johnsburg girls basketball ]

Opponents don’t need to be told that.

Rowe and senior Josie Larson both put up double-doubles to lead Plano’s tenacious rebounding work. The Reapers used that and their pressure defense to turn away visiting Johnsburg and sensational freshman Summer Toussaint 48-37 in Monday’s Kishwaukee River Conference game.

Rowe had 14 points, 12 rebounds and five steals and Larson 17 points and 13 rebounds for Plano (9-3, 3-1), which outrebounded Johnsburg 40-22 with 21 offensive rebounds to bounce back from a loss to Marengo.

Toussaint had 21 points and 11 steals for Johnsburg (6-4, 3-1).

“We had these two, Marengo and Johnsburg, circled on our calendar, us being three of the better teams in our league,” Plano coach Tristan Spivey said. “We focused on rebounding all week. We gave up a bunch of second-chance points against Marengo and that was the difference in that game. Today I thought the girls responded.”

Spivey doesn’t need to remind Rowe that rebounding is a priority.

She has the instinct to put herself in proper position for when balls come off the rim. And if Rowe isn’t there, she’ll find a way to go through people to get there.

Rowe scored 10 of her 14 points in the third quarter Monday as Plano extended what was a five-point halftime lead to 42-31.

“My motto is the ball is mine. I got to get the ball,” Rowe said. “Honestly, I don’t think when I play. That ball is mine. I got to go get it. The more physical the game, the more exciting.”

That goes for underneath the basket, or in the open court. Rowe bowled over a Johnsburg girl for a steal that she turned into her own score to start a 9-0 run late in the third quarter.

“She loves the physical game. It’s her favorite part,” Spivey said. “Since she’s played for me, without teaching, she knows where to be on the court. She knows where to move without me even telling her.”

Larson, who became Plano’s all-time leading scorer earlier this season, missed her first six shots Monday. But she didn’t let it affect her all-around game.

Larson’s first make, a 3-pointer on Plano’s fourth shot in a second-quarter possession, gave the Reapers an 18-9 lead.

“You just have to forget about the shots you miss. Everyone misses shots,” Larson said. “My team still needs to be in the game. Stay calm and play my game.”

“Josie has one stat she cares about – winning. She doesn’t care about anything else," Spivey said. “She doesn’t keep track of her individual stats. She cares about winning, cares about her teammates. I can say that about all the girls. They’re in it for the right reasons.”

It took Johnsburg more than six minutes to score Monday, the Skyhawks committing 11 of their 27 turnovers in the first quarter.

But they rallied, to no surprise led by the talents of their twin freshmen, Summer and Skye Toussaint.

Summer Toussaint, who missed Johnsburg’s last game with a knee injury, scored 12 of her 21 in the first half, and the twins scored the Skyhawks' first 18 points.

Summer Toussaint’s sweet runner in the lane had Johnsburg within 33-29 with 2:50 left in the third quarter.

But she was whistled for her fourth foul moments later, and Plano got its 9-0 run with her sidelined.

“Summer plays really aggressive and sometimes gets called for those fouls,” Johnsburg coach Erin Stochl said. “I’m proud of her effort.”

Stochl looks forward to more of the same from Summer and Skye Toussaint, who had eight points and six rebounds.

“The greatest thing with her and Skye is their work ethic. They get in the gym and they love the gym,” Stochl said. “And it shows in their game. Really coachable kids, high basketball IQ. What’s most exciting is they’re just freshmen. The future is bright.”

Spivey knows it, complimenting the efforts defensively from his senior guard Sanai Young against Summer Toussaint, who had 33 in a game last week.

“She got her 20 but Sanai made her work,” Spivey said. “Those girls are going to be great. They’re going to be a problem in this league.”