Like all of her teammates, Bloom’s Kamryn Turner was crushed in February when the Blazing Trojans were knocked out of the regional by Andrew in the quarterfinals.
Like all of her teammates, Turner was back in the gym the next day preparing for this season.
“I felt really bad,” she said about the loss. “I was ready to come in and get ready for this season, which we are definitely ready for. It definitely fueled me. I don’t want to lose like that again.
“I don’t want to lose, period. I hate to lose.”
There hasn’t been much of that lately. Turner scored 14 of her team-high 21 points in the first quarter Monday night to pace Bloom to a 61-33 Southland Athletic Conference win over host Rich Township in Richton Park.
Turner, a senior guard and Illinois-Springfield recruit, added six assists and four steals for Bloom (9-1, 4-0). Jayla Tyler scored 15 points on five 3-pointers and Kazaria Smith tallied nine points.
Sophomore guard Myelle White led Rich Township (5-5, 3-1) with 21 points and seven rebounds. She scored 11 of the Raptors’ 12 points in the first half.
Turner, meanwhile, doesn’t like losing but the Blazing Trojans suffered a 55-46 setback against undefeated DePaul Prep (10-0) at Saturday’s Kenwood Shootout. Bloom coach Sherman White said his team had a 14-point lead in the second quarter.
That made Monday’s bounce-back game even more important to the Blazing Trojans.
“We had to come out strong,” Turner said. “That’s what I showed. I wanted to come out strong and set up the energy for the team. Everyone was able to feed off the energy.”
“Even though we didn’t play well Saturday, this was a comeback and nothing could stop us,” Tyler said. “With Kam coming out strong, it made sure the tempo was good, and that’s how it ended.”
How last season ended was tough on Tyler as well.
“It hurt the heart,” she said. “It hurt the heart for the whole team. This year, we want to prove that we can make it all the way. The team we have is strong and that’s going to make us win state.”
White was also crestfallen after the 58-55 loss against Andrew, yet his spirits were picked up the next day when he saw the players working out in the gym after school.
“They organized the entire thing themselves,” White said. “They were putting up shots and hitting the weight room. It inspired me as a coach. Obviously, we had big aspirations and we came across a formidable foe and we came up short.
“But that showed the resilience the players showed and the fortitude so say, ‘Hey we’re not going to sit around and lick our wounds. We’re going back in the gym and getting back to work.’”
Being able to count on Turner’s work ethic has provided a big boost for Bloom.
“She’s one of the best guards in the state,” White said. “And what I love about her is that she plays a full 32-minute game on both ends of the court.”
One end of the court that she’s taking seriously this season is defense.
The Trojans have allowed 40 or fewer points in all nine wins. Turner leads the team by averaging 4.1 steals a game, but Sinaee Price and Smith are right behind her at 4.0 and 3.8, respectively.
“I think defense is my strongest ability,” Turner said. “Defense is definitely important and we make sure every day that it’s right. We make sure everybody knows what we have to do.
“It’s definitely a key component in what we do and that’s our style.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
