Bishop Noll freshman Laila Rogers doesn’t mind doing the dirty work.
In fact, she really likes it, particularly if it translates into a victory for the Warriors.
Rogers grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and scored all 10 of her points in the second half, leading Noll to a 57-46 victory over Andrean on Thursday night.
“Laila plays aggressively all the time,” Noll coach Vanita Golston said. “She positions herself on defense to clean up the boards, and often it turns into points for us.”
Rogers said working harder on defense — not necessarily scoring — is her forte.
“Getting rebounds and playing defense are my strengths, but I can still score when I need to,” Rogers said. “I like working on the defensive side more and feel it leads to points that can help my team.”
Andrean coach Tony Scheub said the work Rogers put in against his 59ers (3-12) was a real difference maker.
“She outworked us in the paint and that’s something we can’t have,” he said. “She was faster and stronger than us and she just worked harder than we did. Those things are a bad combination for us.”
Despite the fact Andrean started strong and built eight-point leads twice in the first quarter, the last at 19-11, the Warriors (9-6) really never flinched.
“We kept our heads up and didn’t let their lead get to us,” Rogers said. “We still felt we could outwork them. We worked together as a team and stayed up with each other.”
With freshman Courtney Blakely scoring 14 of her team-high 20 points in the first half, Noll ended up wiping out its deficit to take a 32-28 halftime lead.
The 59ers’ Karli Miller, who tied Blakely with 20 points, scored 12 first-half points, keeping the home team close.
But Julia Schutz (13 points) got into foul trouble in the first half and had to take a seat on the 59ers’ bench much of the second quarter.
“She’s our best shooter, so that pretty much took away our outside game,” Scheub said.
Miller, who did all her scoring in the first three quarters, kept the 59ers close by scoring eight points in the third.
“Karli’s our captain and is one of the returning players we have, so she has to do it,” Scheub said. “That’s just the way it is.”
John O’Malley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
