DeKalb dominates Plainfield East to cap regular season

PLAINFIELD – Thursday night’s girls basketball game between Plainfield East and DeKalb, a 51-30 win for the visiting Barbs, may have seemed like a strange matchup from the outside looking in.

DeKalb entered the night in the middle of the DuPage Valley Conference standings, while Plainfield East was second to last in the Southwest Prairie Conference East. A nonconference match to wrap the regular season may stick out as a bit odd.

Both teams got something out of it, however. The Barbs got a tuneup game before starting the playoffs to boost their confidence and stay fresh. The Bengals got to face off against a talented team to help prepare them for a tough playoff road.

“This was big,” DeKalb coach Brad Bjelk said. “Anytime you finish on a win or two in a row like we have, you build some momentum going into Monday night. I feel good about it, and we played good defense. Offensively, we shot the ball well in the first half, had some good looks and were confident to the basket, which was good for us.”

DeKalb finishes the season 20-10 overall with a 5-5 record in conference play. The Barbs will open regional play against Lake Park at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Willowbrook.

Ella Medina led Thursday night’s effort with 19 points.

“We’re feeling really good,” Medina said. “This was our 20th win of the season, and we haven’t done that in a while. Our team’s really excited to go into the postseason so it felt good to win tonight. ... We have to give it our all in the postseason because it’s win or go home.”

As for Plainfield East (4-25), it’ll begin its playoff journey in the Lisle Regional at 2 p.m. Saturday against Plainfield Central. The Wildcats also have won only four games this season, so the Bengals will be looking to go on a playoff run.

“Today was really about getting ready for [Plainfield Central],” Plainfield East coach Tony Waznonis said. “It’s just about being focused on the little things that we do for as young as we are. ... Saturday starts the playoffs for us, and we’re ready. They know us, and we know them. We’ve split our series with them, so it’s going to be a battle.”

Thursday’s game itself was never truly in question. The Bengals didn’t score a point until two minutes had passed and were behind 7-1 only seconds after they did.

While strong free-throw shooting cut the deficit to 11-6 at one point, DeKalb closed the quarter with four straight 3-pointers, three of which came from Medina. It was 26-7 at the end of the quarter, with the Bengals failing to score a field goal.

Emma Rodgers' layup ended the Plainfield East drought 43 seconds into the second quarter, and Addison Haughian followed with another. Leslie Salas ended the half on a buzzer-beater, but between all that, Medina and company remained in control as they led 38-17 entering the locker room.

The game moved to a running clock late in the third quarter, and the Barbs held a 44-23 advantage entering the fourth. It never got closer than that.

Rodgers led Plainfield East with nine points.