Few will forget the weekend Riverside Brookfield girls basketball won everything. The Bulldogs downed two tough teams in the prestigious Sweet 16 tournament on the same day to earn their 19th and 20th victories on the season, and were told the Suburban Prairie (East) Conference title was theirs after Fenton fell to Lemont.
RB has had four straight 20-win seasons, and has now won four straight SPC titles.
The Bulldogs (20-3, 9-0) closed up the successful weekend by edging Barrington 59-50 in the nightcap of a doubleheader on Saturday at Lake Zurich. RB led the entire contest, jumping off to a 13-4 advantage after the first quarter and holding steady at 28-22 by halftime.
Barrington closed the gap to five in the fourth, but Katelyn McCloskey, Erin Pfieffer and Maggie McCloskey went to work. Katelyn nailed a key three-pointer, Pfieffer racked up her seventh block of the game, and Maggie was perfect at the free-throw line.
Katelyn led the Bulldogs with 21 points, while Maggie tallied 15 points and 12 assists. But it was Pfieffer who literally stole the show. The senior center garnered her seventh straight double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, to go along with her seven blocks.
In the matinee, RB came from behind to crush Schaumburg 51-38. Trailing 22-17 at halftime, the Bulldogs outscored the Saxons 19-9 in the third quarter.
Maggie led the Bulldogs with 19 points to go along with her seven assists. Katelyn finished with 13 points, and Pfieffer a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
On Jan. 24, RB kicked off Sweet 16 action with a 56-50 victory over Lake Zurich. The Bulldogs pick-pocketed Lake Zurich for 12 steals in the game, including two being swiped in the final two minutes of the first half with RB trailing by seven. Katelyn traded the steals in for points, scoring six points to close the gap to one, 27-26, by halftime.
Pfieffer tallied six points in the third to help give the Bulldogs a 10-point cushion. She finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Maggie led with 20 points and six steals. Katelyn added 10 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
In between Sweet 16 action, the Bulldogs helped secure their fourth consecutive SPC title by annihilating Ridgewood 80-63 on Thursday. Maggie led the charge with 32 points, while Katelyn racked up 24. Pfieffer chipped in 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bulldogs closed out the month against York last night (after deadline). They travel to Elmwood Park for a SPC game on Friday (7 p.m.), followed by a trip to Leyden in a non-conference matchup on Saturday (4:30 p.m.).
