The Belvidere North Blue Thunder's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fifth straight defeat. They took a 60-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of Rockford Auburn. Belvidere North has struggled against the Knights recently, as their matchup on Thursday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Belvidere North lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Brooke Bottcher, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bottcher has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Cortlyn Hefty, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and five steals.
Even though they lost, Belvidere North smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Rockford Auburn only pulled down five offensive rebounds.
Rockford Auburn's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Alivia Brown, who scored 21 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. Brown has been hot recently, having posted 16 or more points the last seven times she's played. Destiny Robinson was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with six rebounds.
Belvidere North dropped their record down to 3-18 with that loss, which was their sixth straight at home. As for Rockford Auburn, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-14 record this season.
Belvidere North won't have much time to rest: their next match is against the Bucs at 6:30 p.m. on January 26th. Hopefully Belvidere focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 23 last Saturday. As for Rockford Auburn, they won't have much time to rest: their next game is against the Titans at 6:30 p.m. on January 26th. Boylan Catholic presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than the Knights in Illinois (the Titans are ranked 56th, while the Knights are ranked 248th).
