The Riverside-Brookfield girls basketball team tuned up for its league showdown against Glenbard South by picking up a pair of victories last week.
The Lady Bulldogs (19-4, 8-1) rallied for a 54-45 nonconference win over Westmont on Saturday after thumping Illiana Christian 61-35 in Metro Suburban Conference action on Jan. 24.
On Saturday, the Sentinels jumped out to a 10-2 lead and held control for the opening quarter. Riverside-Brookfield turned it on in the second quarter, outscoring Westmont 18-4 to take the lead for good.
While Westmont threatened in the second half by pulling within a handful of points, the Lady Bulldogs met every challenge. Janae Dabney finished with a career-high 22 points, including seven down the stretch. The burgeoning sophomore star also pulled down 16 boards and had three steals.
Hannah Claywell scored 14 points and hauled down eight rebounds, while Brittney JnoBaptiste crashed the boards for 16 rebounds to go along with her seven points. Caroline Waas also provided ample support of Dabney’s stellar performance by adding five points and two steals.
Riverside-Brookfield rocked visiting Illiana Christian in league action with unyielding defense. The Lady Bulldogs amassed 19 steals led by Dabney’s team-high five picks and four each from Emma Schander and Miranda Chavez.
Claywell and JnoBaptiste paced the Bulldogs offensively with 17 points and 11 points, respectively, against the Vikings. Waas had eight points, while RB centers Kaija Bole and Dabney chipped in six points apiece.
Aside from Jan. 29th’s showdown at home against Glenbard South (after deadline), the Lady Bulldogs were set to visit Ridgewood on Thursday (7 p.m.) and also welcome in Leyden on Saturday (7 p.m.) in a nonconference matchup.
Come Class 4A State playoff time, Riverside-Brookfield will host its own regional. The Lady Bulldogs are the seventh seed in the Trinity Sectional. They open against Kenwood on Feb. 13 (8 p.m.). A win would likely pit them against No. 2 seed Trinity in the regional championship on Feb. 14 (7:30 p.m.).
