Girls Basketball: Strong Start Propels Oak Forest

The Hot Read: Oak Forest's seniors combined to score 53 points in the Bengals' 78-33 girls basketball victory over Crete-Monee on Monday. Fittingly, it was Senior Night. The first quarter decided the game with the Bengals looking dominant from the word "go" as they built a 29-6 lead. The Warriors actually outscored Oak Forest 10-7 in the second quarter, but by then the tone was set.

Patch’s MVP: Oak Forest's Colleen Emmett led all scorers with 24 points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter. She also had three rebounds and a steal.

Key stats: The Benglas outrebounded the Warriors 42-25. The Warriors were 0-for-12 from the 3-point arc and just 14-of-36 from the free throw line. The Bengals went 7-of-17 from long range and 13-of-32 from the free throw line.

Oak Forest Leaders: Colleen Emmett (24 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal), Emily Missaggia (17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal), Tori Dodson (10 points, 5 steals, 2 rebounds)

Crete-Monee Leaders: Destiny Harris (13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals). Two others tied with four points.

Quotable: Bengals' coach Steve Schanz on his team's fast start: "It was nice that the seniors set the tone and shot the ball well to start out. It was fun to watch."

Team Records:  Oak Forest is 16-8 overall and 9-2 in the South Suburban Blue. Crete-Monee is 10-14 and 2-6 in the Southland.

What's Next: Oak Forest plays host to T.F. South on Tuesday in a must-win conference game. Crete-Monee will host Rich Central on Wednesday.