Finally, a game for the Trojans that didn’t require a late fourth quarter rally or a defensive stand. Behind a suffocating defensive performance and lights-out shooting, Cary-Grove (8-13,6-4) was able to rout Crystal Lake South (6-12, 3-5) 55-29 and complete a season sweep of them. Before the fourth quarter even started, every player on the Trojans’ roster managed to get on the court.

The Trojans were all business from the start, holding the Gators scoreless for the first five minutes. At the end of the first quarter, the Trojans held a 12-5 advantage.

The second quarter started off strong, too, with senior Elsa Larry engineering a 9-0 run to put the Trojans up 21-5.

In the middle of the the second quarter, though, the Gators began to gain a little momentum, cutting the lead down to eleven. With the Trojans in lots of foul trouble and the Gators in the double bonus, it appeared that the Gators were not going anywhere and could get within single digits before halftime. Then the Trojans hit another gear.

In the final four minutes of the second quarter, Emily Lukowski’s back-to-back three pointers sparked a dominating 14-2 run. Senior guard and Concordia University Basketball commit Bailey Steinkamp put the cherry on top, with a three pointer and free throw to finish a four point play. By halftime, the Trojans were all smiles with their 35-12 lead, and the Trojan crowd was loving it.

The Trojan weren’t done, though, as they managed to stretch the lead as high as 36 after Sarah Howdeshall’s contested layup to make it 55-19.

By the middle of the 3rd quarter, the starters were done for the day, which gave the backups the chance for some playing time. The Gators did score the final ten points in the running clock fourth quarter to make it 55-29, but all that did was save a little face.

With the victory, the Trojans are now only one game behind McHenry for third place in the Fox Valley Conference. The Trojans are now looking to avenge their 50-28 loss against Dundee-Crown on January 23rd on the road.