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Clevenger adds 12 points, Field adds 12 rebounds off bench
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Ella McCarter Jadyn Field
KOKOMO — The Rochester girls basketball team might not be sick of basketball, but they are sick and might be able to use a 15-day break before their next game.
A happy memory will linger by the time they return to the court following a 48-33 road Three Rivers Conference win over Northwestern Thursday.
Ella McCarter, one of the players battling illness, scored a game-high 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for a double-double, and Rylee Clevenger added 12, including nine in the fourth quarter.
Aubrey Wilson had all seven of her points as part of an 18-2 first-quarter run that put the Lady Zs (10-3 overall, 4-1 TRC) ahead for good.
They led 30-16 at halftime and augmented the lead to 18 in the third quarter, and the lead stayed in double figures the rest of the way.
Berkley Wray scored 14, and Anna Bishir had 12 for Northwestern (3-8, 0-4).
Northwestern went on a 7-0 run in the fourth quarter and had the deficit down to 35-25 on two Wray free throws with 6:17 left.
But Clevenger picked the pocket of Brooklynn Conwell and drove to the other end for a scoop layup. A Clevenger 3-pointer from the right wing got the lead back to 40-26 and stanched the Northwestern momentum.
After committing 17 turnovers in a loss to Wabash Saturday, Rochester cut that number to nine against Northwestern. Meanwhile, Rochester made more free throws (11) than Northwestern attempted (9).
Rochester worked specifically on driving to the basket and finishing through contact during practice in preparation for this game, according to coach Joel Burrus.
“We thought we were going to be able to get in the paint on them tonight,” Burrus said. “Obviously, Ella was able to attack. I thought Wilson attacked well. She didn’t score as much, but she attacked, drove gaps, got people open.”
In addition to McCarter, Bolinger’s minutes were limited due to illness. Sophomore reserve Jadyn Field had three points and 12 rebounds.
Rochester had lost their previous two meetings at Northwestern by 64 points combined, and they fell behind 2-0 this time.
But McCarter used a high ball screen from Bolinger, and it took her into a 12-foot pullup. Brailyn Hunter hit a 3, Wilson scored in transition and then split a pair of free throws to make it 8-2.
Another McCarter pullup led to a Northwestern timeout.
Wilson then hit a running hook from the right baseline and then added two more free throws to make it 14-2.
Wray hit a 15-foot jumper off an offensive rebound, but McCarter hit another pullup jumper. Then came a little good fortune: Bishir blocked a Clevenger midrange pullup, but Bolinger tapped it in midair to Field, who muscled in a layup to complete the run.
“We really had some difficulties putting the ball in the hoop,” Northwestern coach Wendy Gatlin said. “I mean, we got a lot of opportunities to score. We actually got pretty much every option out of our offensive sets that we wanted to get. We just literally couldn’t put it in the hole. And come to find out, my starting center (Maci Rody) is sick. … Lo and behold, she’s running a 101 temperature and not really with us mentally, and I think I know why now.”
Field was playing in her fourth game since right ACL surgery in August. Impressed by her quick recovery, Burrus said he still asks himself, ‘How is she out there?’ during games.
This was her most productive game.
“To be honest, I’m surprised, but I feel really good about that,” Field said when told of her rebounds.
Field said Bolinger missed two days of school this week, so she had to do more live scrimmaging in practice, and she added that it prepared her.
“My rehab, it’s gone really well thanks to Amy Rupley,” Field said. “She’s my therapist, but I feel like I’ve recovered quickly. My knee, it does get sore sometimes, but ice just gets rid of it.”
Rochester had seven field goals in the second and third quarters combined. McCarter scored five of them and assisted on the other two. Her drive and dish set up a Bolinger layup, and she later hit Clevenger for a 3-pointer to complete a give-and-go play off an out of bounds set in the second quarter.
She also had an off-balance lefty banker off a coast-to-coast to set up a 3-point play to make it 30-16.
She then outscored the entire Northwestern team 4-2 in the third quarter.
“I was more frustrated with our finishing in that third quarter,” Burrus said. “I thought we had multiple opportunities to finish. We snapped a couple passes down there. Field missed a couple down there, but she’s still trying to get her feet under her.”
The Lady Zs were playing their 13th game in 42 days but will not play again until the Small School Classic at Kouts on Jan. 3. They will play Clinton Prairie at 12:30 p.m. Eastern in their first game that day.
“Bolinger, we’ve got to get her healthy,” Burrus said. “The poor kid, my goodness, she’s in there hacking her guts up before the half because of her cough. … The health thing, only having one game… I really preached that the past couple days about, ‘Hey, one game, let’s get through it, let’s win it, and now we can assess and get healthy.”
Rochester 48, Northwestern 33
ROCHESTER (48) (10-3, 4-1)
Aubrey Wilson 2 3-4 7, Rylee Clevenger 3 4-4 12, Brailyn Hunter 2 0-0 5, Ella McCarter 8 3-3 19, Audrey Bolinger 1 0-0 2, Emma Mathias 0 0-0 0, Constance Velez 0 0-0 0, Kyla Conley 0 0-0 0, Jayla Miller 0 0-0 0, Jadyn Field 1 1-2 3
TEAM: 17 11-13 48
NORTHWESTERN (33) (3-8, 0-4)
Anna Bishir 4 1-2 12, Izzy Arrick 0 0-0 0, Berkeley Wray 6 2-2 14, Savanah Lipinski 1 0-1 2, Maci Rody 0 0-0 0, Brooklynn Conwell 1 0-0 3, Hannah Eller 0 0-0 0, Ava Schultz 0 0-2 0, Tessa Davenport 1 0-2 2, Maggie Van Osdell 0 0-0 0
TEAM: 13 3-9 33
Three-point field goals:
Rochester 3 (Clevenger 2, Hunter),
Northwestern 4 (Bishir 3, Conwell)
Total fouls: Rochester 9, Northwestern 13
Turnovers: Rochester 9, Northwestern 16
Score by quarters
Rochester 18 12 4 14 – 48
Northwestern 7 9 2 15 – 33
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