Ruby Macke scores first 14 points for Crystal Lake Central on her way to career night against Marian Central

WOODSTOCK — Crystal Lake Central junior forward Ruby Macke was absolutely locked in Wednesday night.

She tallied the Tigers' first 14 first-quarter points against nonconference opponent Marian Central, sinking six of her first eight shots, plus a pair of free throws.

It wasn’t until teammate and captain Leah Spychala (eight points, 11 rebounds) sank a buzzer-beating layup as the first-quarter horn sounded, that any other Crystal Lake Central player found the bottom of the net.

The result? A commanding 53-39 road win by the Tigers (11-6), as Macke finished with a career-best and game-high 28 points.

She also notched seven rebounds, and the Tigers racked up 14 team steals with their relentless 1-3-1 zone, which brought a barrage of double-teams at Marian’s players almost every time someone touched the ball.

“When my shots started falling, I figured I just needed to keep shooting the ball until it stopped going in,” Macke said. “I was having a lot of success in the post, even though they were guarding me really tight.

“But if it wasn’t for my teammates dishing good passes to me, those baskets don’t happen. They facilitated all of it.”

The Tigers jumped out to a nine-point first quarter edge, only to see the Hurricanes (8-11) chip away at their lead and make it vanish.

Marian enjoyed a 15-point second quarter led by senior Juliette Huff, who finished with a team-high 16 points, plus six rebounds. She was honored during the game for eclipsing 1,000 career points earlier this week.

Guard Abbey Miner’s relentless defense was a factor, too, as the Hurricanes finished the first half on a 20-9 run and entered the locker room at halftime deadlocked in a 25-25 tie.

Miner (nine points) had five steals, nine rebounds and dished out five assists.

But that momentum proved to be short-lived.

The Tigers emerged from the locker room refreshed, outscoring Marian 16-8 in the third quarter.

Central senior Hadley Ferrero scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half, but defensively, she was a monster, tallying six of her team-best seven steals in the final 16 minutes.

“When we give it our best effort in practice and during games and come prepared, it’s no surprise we have results we want,” Ferrero said.

Her coach agreed.

“That’s our team identity, our defense,” Central first-year coach Joe Capalbo said. “Effort is something we can always control, and to their credit, these girls were energized and ready to go from the opening tip.”

The Tigers were also more efficient as the game progressed. They shot 9 for 22 in the opening half, then 12 for 25 in the second half.

The outcome was vastly different than the first time the two teams met during the first game of the season Nov. 19. The Hurricanes won that matchup, 45-36.

“We’ve done nothing but get better all season, so I’m very encouraged by the continued progress we’re seeing,” Capalbo said.

All 53 Tigers' points came from their starting five. Peyton McMahon (three points, four steals, three assists) Sammi Pottorff (three rebounds) and Katelyn Hallum (five rebounds) all contributed to the winning effort.

Marian, meanwhile, got five points and five rebounds from Adriana Wrzos, along with a four-point, six-rebound, four-block effort from Sophia Meinhold.

Meinhold tallied blocks on back-to-back possessions in the first half, but ultimately, Marian shooting just 5 for 18 in the second half cost them.

“The effort is there, which is the most important thing,” Hurricanes coach Lee Brown said. “We just need to finish our chances and take care of the ball better.

“They put a lot of pressure on us, and we could’ve handled it better ... but these are learning experiences we will do our best to grow from.”

The Hurricanes attempted 14 first-half free throws, but just four in the second half.

Central sank all four of its second-half foul shots and was 10 for 15 from the charity stripe overall.