It wasn’t the cleanest game for Homewood-Flossmoor girls basketball Tuesday.
The Vikings didn’t rebound very well. They missed a few too many layups and gave away a few too many turnovers. But it was a regular season finale with no conference implications. Senior guard and leading scorer Jaeda Murphy played only long enough to get a start on senior night without risking injury.
So for H-F, coming away with a 49-34 win over SouthWest Suburban Blue rival Lockport was good enough.
“We definitely wanted to end (the regular season) with a win. We decided to sit Jaeda today just to give some other kids some chances in a full game situation,” coach Tony Smith said. “We see that we’ve got some work to do. Jaeda’s a big piece. She’s a leader. To be without our leader was tough but I think we got better today.”
The Porters (12-18, 0-8) led for most of the first half. The Vikings didn’t register a field goal for more than seven minutes and didn’t lead until about 30 seconds were left in the first half.
Lockport controlled the boards for most of the evening and H-F missed several shots from inside of three feet.
“When you don’t have your floor general, those shots that they usually make aren’t as easy for them,” Smith said. “I think we allowed some of our missed shots to affect our energy on defense and rebounding. That’s why we got outboarded today.”
H-F wrestled the lead away after the Porters quickly jumped in front again in the second half, but the game was tied twice until the Vikings began to pull away in the final minutes.
Junior Caris Pryor was a bright spot for the Vikings in the fourth quarter. She scored all five of her points in the frame, picked up two key rebounds and an important steal.
“I know I’m able to (step up) so when I see my team in need, I feel like I should help them out in the best way I can,” Pryor said. “I feel like (the win) gives us a hype because we know that even if we don’t start off very well, we know that we can overcome that and eventually win.”
It was senior night for Homewood-Flossmoor (19-7, 6-2), which celebrated Murphy, Kendall Wilson and Layla Pierce before the game.
“They are our foundation,” Smith said. “The young kids don’t really understand how important this is to us, to our town, our community, our school. It means a lot for us to go out and compete. Those three lead that way.”
The win wraps up the regular season for H-F. They’re the No. 1 seed in the Joliet West sectional and get a bye in the opening round. They’ll play either Thornwood or Shepard on Feb. 12 at Lincoln-Way West.
“We’re trying to go to state, win a championship,” Pryor said. “We want a state trophy.”
Pierce led the Vikings with 16 points while Aunyai Deere scored 15. Laura Arstikaitis had 13 for the Porters.