The Batavia Lady Blue Devils were “locked in” from the start of tonight’s Monroe County League game against Pittsford Sutherland -- playing their best half of basketball of the season – en route to 48-33 victory over the visiting Lady Knights.
The win was the fifth straight for Batavia after an 0-3 start and avenged a 44-40 loss to Sutherland on opening night.
Coach Marty Hein’s squad kept the ball moving on offense and utilized a full court press and double-teaming of the ball on defense to make it tough on Sutherland, now 3-4.
Individually, senior guard Mackenzie Reigle showed why she was named Division 4 Player of the Year in 2020 as she scored 29 points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked two shots and came up with seven steals.
She now is 16 points shy of reaching 1,000 in her varsity career. Batavia has three regular season games remaining, with the next one at 3:15 p.m. Saturday at home against Honeoye Falls-Lima.
Beyond the numbers, Reigle controlled the pace of the game – getting high-percentage attempts for herself and good shots for her teammates while setting the tone on defense with her ball-hawking ability.
Reigle scored 10 of Batavia’s first 12 points (including a pair of three-point baskets) as the Lady Devils jumped out to a 12-5 advantage, and she ended the period by finding senior guard Bryn Wormley for a three-pointer to make it 15-9.
It was more of the same in the second quarter as Reigle drained two three-point shots and three driving layups – two of them off of steals – to put Batavia up 31-15 at halftime.
Batavia kept up the defensive intensity in the second half but to the Lady Knights’ credit, they hung in there and closed the gap to 33-23 midway through the third quarter on a basket by sophomore Ellie Bergin.
However, Batavia responded with baskets by Wormley, Reigle (a three-pointer) and Rachel Wright to stretch the lead to 42-25 entering the fourth quarter. Sutherland could pull no closer than 12 points from that point on.
Wormley finished with 11 points and nine rebounds while Haylee Thornley had four points and three steals. Bergin scored 20 for Sutherland and sophomore Laura Brandt six for the visitors.
