WHITING | Here's something area basketball teams might want to consider this winter: you better be careful fouling Whiting's Brianna Blackwell and Abby Bondi hard and knocking them down.
It might come back to bite you like it did Saturday night in the Oilers' Memorial Gymnasium.
Both Blackwell and Bondi were fouled by physical Bowman Academy. Blackwell's nose was bleeding and she had to come out. Bondi's bruise was elsewhere.
“No, I don't like that particularly,” Bondi said. “I got hit in the butt. Hard.”
Both players sparked Times No. 8 Whiting to a 70-58 win over the Eagles, the first time the Oilers have beaten Bowman (0-2). Blackwell hit three 3s in the second quarter, scoring 12 in that frame and finished with 27 points, tying her career high.
Bondi also hit three 3s in the third quarter, where the senior scored 14 of her career-high 25 points to keep Bowman at bay.
Whiting (4-0) hit nine 3-pointers and was 13-of-15 from the line in the final eight minutes of the game.
“We come in at 7 a.m three times a week and shoot free throws,” Bondi said.
“When they got into foul trouble we started taking it to the basket,” Blackwell added.
Bowman led at half 34-32 and the Eagles' offense was flowing. The young program hit six 3-pointers, but were a dismal 10-of-20 from the line. Whiting was 25-of-34.
“We're a young team and our kids don't quite know when to dig in,” Bowman coach Janora Holmes said. “Whiting played smart ball. We need to know what our strengths are. We took it in in the second half and didn't get the calls we wanted.”
Freshman Diamond Harvey led Bowman with 15 points, while junior Kendra Sims added 13.
Whiting coach Kevin Moynihan was pleased with several of his players, not just his top scorers. Point guard Citiali Lopez scored 15 points but she also added eight steals and seven assists.
Lauren Markovich only had one point but she grabbed 10 rebounds in the win.
“We have tough kids,” he said. “Bondi is a four-year starter and she let her play speak for herself. She really was a leader out there tonight. Our seniors really want to leave their mark on our program.”
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