HP_011917

30 | January 19, 2017 | The highland park landmark sports
hplandmark.com
Post play, outside range help Giants blow past Blue Demons
Neil Milbert
Freelance Reporter
Highland Park’s pair
of 6-footers, senior Lily
Kahn and freshman Addie
Budnik, immediately established
their dominance
down low but it wasn’t
until 5-foot-5 sophomore
Sydney Ignoffo started
sinking shot after shot
from 3-point land that the
game with Maine East became
a blowout.
Putting on perhaps their
best performance of the
season, the Giants put
down the Blue Demons,
61-39, on Jan. 13 in Highland
Park.
Ignoffo hit the trifecta
six times in scoring
a game-high 20 points,
Kahn piled up 19 points
and Budnik amassed 14.
The Giants dominated
the backboards, scrubbing
them for 37 rebounds—25
of which came on the defensive
end—while all the
visitors could muster was
a total of 22 rebounds.
“It’s something we’ve
been talking about,” said
Coach Jolie Bechtel. “We
lost a game last weekend
against Round Lake that
was due to getting outrebounded
so we talked a
lot about it.”
The Giants’ second
half defense was another
strong point. Maine East
was able to score only 15
points in the final 16 minutes.
In the first quarter it
didn’t seem likely that
the game would turn out
the way it did. The Blue
Demons held leads of 6-1
and 8-3 before Budnik
and Kahn collaborated to
send Highland Park into
the second quarter with a
17-16 advantage.
Budnik scored 10 of the
Giants’ first quarter points
Senior forward Lily Kahn (white) backs down a defender during Highland Park’s 61-39 win over Maine East on Friday, Jan. 13, in Highland Park.
Kahn had 19 points for the Giants in the win. photos from Varsity Views
VARSITY VIEWS
and Kahn had the other
VARSITY VIEWS
seven. The southpaw
Kahn assisted on two of
those Budnik baskets and
the right-hander Budnik
set up one by Kahn.
“It’s helpful to have another
post player,” Kahn
said. “We try to pass to
each other, especially
when we have mismatches
as we did tonight.”
After Kahn’s basket to
start the second quarter
increased the Giants’ advantage
to 19-16 a bucket
and two free throws enabled
the Blue Demons to
reclaim the lead.
Then Ignoffo hit her
Jenny Goldsher (white) looks to complete a pass.
first 3-pointer and Kahn
got a basket on another
post move to send Highland
Park back in front
24-20 but Maine East
answered with two field
goals to tie the score.
The deadlock was shortlived.
The Giants scored
the last seven points of
Kirby Bartelstein eyes up the basket from the free throw
line.
the second quarter and the
first 11 of the third quarter
for an 18-0 run that
melted the Blue Demons’
resistance.
Ignoffo was at her
best in the third quarter,
collecting for 11 of her
points.
The sophomore downplayed
her derring-do.
“I’m just a three-point
shooter,” Ignoffo said.
“Tonight we played our
best game because everyone
was involved the
entire game—on the court
and on the bench.”
The Giants will return
to action this weekend
with a pair of back-toback
games. Highland
Park will host CSL North
rivals Vernon Hills on Friday,
Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m.,
then travel to Waukegan
the following day for a
5:30 matchup.