Lady Ghosts roll

The Lady Ghosts moved one step closer to claiming the North Central Illinois Conference crown Jan. 19 when they toppled Rock Falls, 59-50, on the road.

Illinois Valley Central started the game flat on offense with poor shot selection and turnovers.

On defense, the Ghosts had trouble stopping the Rock Falls offense from knocking down medium range shots and fell behind 12-4.

In the second quarter, IVC quickly found its rhythm on offense.

Senior Laci Peterson, who led the team with 19 points, became nearly unstoppable in the low post by overpowering the Rocket defenders and taking advantage of timely passes from teammates.

“We started the game slow but then we woke up in the second quarter and started to work the ball in to Laci,” coach Paul Mercer said.

Not only were the Ghosts effective in the post, they were able to strike from the perimeter as well.

Senior Allison Schultz kept Rocket defenders guessing where the scoring would come from by accurately knocking down middle-to long-range shots.

“We really had balanced scoring for that game,” Mercer said.

IVC took a 29-20 lead into halftime.

The third quarter was anything but defensive, with each team scoring points in the double digits.

IVC’s versatile offense utilized its many weapons to edge out Rock Falls, 14-11.

The Rockets outscored the Ghosts in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to overcome IVC.

“It was really a very physical game, but we made our free throws when we had to,” Mercer said.

The Ghosts took on another conference foe Friday night when they welcomed the Princeton Tigers to town.

The Lady Ghost offense started the game hot, dominating Princeton in both outside shooting and inside scoring.

“We jumped on them from the start and we really did everything well,” Mercer said.

Defensively, IVC’s speed and pressure created enough havoc for the Ghosts to take an 18-7 lead after the first quarter.

Hoerr established herself as a low-post force in the second quarter by fearlessly driving to the hoop and taking on defenders in the lane.

Junior Stephany Johnson helped out the cause by sinking a three pointer late in the quarter.
IVC led, 29-15, at halftime.

The Ghosts got their first points of the half when Hoerr drove to the hoop, was fouled and completed the three-point play with a free throw.

IVC’s defense continued to pressure Princeton, and the offense used timely passes to cut through the defense and find the open shooter.

Peterson, who had 10 blocks, 14 points and 10 rebounds, took on three defenders late in the game to put in a shot in the lane.

Junior Liz Blind used her size and strength to keep Princeton from having easy lanes to the basket and helped the Ghosts close out the 65-33 victory.

The Ghosts headed to Ottawa Saturday and won another blowout, 60-35.

“It’s good to play Ottawa since they’re two or three times our size, and it gives us a great look at the physical style of play that those schools have,” Mercer said.

Peterson set the tone for the game early by keeping Ottawa from driving to the hoop and putting up points of her own on offense.

Peterson led the team with 23 points.

Junior Ellen Pearson helped the team start the game on a 17-2 run by slashing through defenders to get to the hoop.

Ottawa began to find an offensive rhythm, but the Ghosts never lost theirs and held a 30-15 lead at halftime.

Neither team’s defense played effectively in the third quarter, when each team had its best offensive output of the game.

The Ghosts were led by Schultz, whose outside shooting kept Ottawa on its toes.

Defensively, the Ghosts slowed Ottawa down enough to take a 48-30 lead into the final quarter.

“Our press created problems for them and we scored quick points off turnovers,” Mercer said.

IVC rotated players in the final quarter and held on for the win.

The Ghosts (18-1) next play at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at home against Kewanee.