Batavia guard Brooke Carlson let the follow-through linger a little longer as she watched her three-pointer fall through the bottom of the net with a sly smirk at the 26-second mark of the third quarter. It was the punctuation mark to a statement quarter from the senior guard.
The explosive guard scored 13 of her 39 points in the third quarter in Batavia’s 72-61 victory over Fremd at the Morton College Christmas Tournament in Cicero — four off her career high. She found her groove and willed her team to a win with countless drives to the basket.
Fremd (13-4) saw its 32-29 halftime lead evaporate in that third quarter as Batavia (14-2) led 49-45 at the start of the fourth. Batavia increased the defensive pressure in the quarter as the game became more physical. Carlson rose to the challenge, inviting the contact and finishing through it with impressive touch finishes softly off the glass.
“There were a couple of physical moments where she [Carlson] made it clear she wasn’t backing down to anybody out there,” Batavia coach Kevin Jensen said. “That was kind of the theme. We’re not backing down.”
This was a statement game from Carlson and arguably the best win of the season for the Bulldogs.
“It’s four years in the making,” Jensen said. “Some of these girls have been with us since day one of freshman year. We knew there was all kinds of talent, but it was about all of us working together, and we’re finally at a spot where they don’t just play with each other, they play for each other.”
Junior Addie Prewitt scored eight points. Senior guard Kylee Gehrt added six points.
But it all goes back to Carlson, the head of the Bulldogs attack. The high-scoring guard who can zip past defenders without problem makes the Bulldogs dangerous.
Carlson is dynamic with the ball in her hands: She can knock down a three-point shot, weave through defenders with an effortless handle, and finish at the rim with exceptional touch. Her team needed her scoring against a strong Fremd team.
“I just try not to screw it up, she’s pretty good,” Jensen said. “When somebody’s that talented, it’s just trying to talk to them about how to use their talents to help all of us, and that’s been the maturation process for her from freshman year till now, which is just her control over the game.”
It’s clear on the court that Carlson is playing at a different speed and cadence than anyone. She understands when to slow down, put her defender on her back, and create contact.
Fremd guard Coco Urlacher — who finished with 15 points — picked up her fourth foul with 3:59 left in the third quarter. Forward Brynn Eshoo also struggled with foul trouble in the second half.
That’s when Carlson went in for the kill. It wasn’t by a barrage of three-point shots or her contorting her body for acrobatic layups around the rim. Carlson closed the game by repeatedly getting to the free-throw line. The Colorado State commit knocked down 11 free throws in the fourth quarter to close the game for the Bulldogs.
“It’s not about always making the shot,” Jensen said, “it’s about making the right play.”
Carlson said postgame she was tired after her spectacular performance, but she understands there is more on the horizon as her team prepares for the championship game on Saturday against the winner of Peoria Notre Dame and Alton.
“We have to come back and hopefully get the job done,” Carlson said. “That’s what we’re looking forward to.”
Kyle Williams is a staff reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South Side and West Side.
