Angie Bickett and her teammates from Bureau Valley Manlius, Illinois, defeated the Pawnee Lady Indians Sunday 52-36 at Eastern’s girls’ basketball team camp.

When Bickett, point guard, was asked before the game if her team would win, all she could say is, “Um, hopefully.”

The girls’ basketball camp gave high school varsity and junior varsity teams all over the state a chance to play up to a minimum of three games per day June 24 and 25, which came complete with scrimmage against other teams, referees and 20 minute halves.

“It’s nice because it’s kind of just a chance for them to come see the campus and meet some of our players,” women’s basketball assistant coach Anne O’ Niel said. “High school teams don’t get to play all summer long, so they get to come here and compete, so that’s nice.”

Even though it was just a camp, the games were nonetheless exciting to watch. Pawnee jumped out to an early lead, and led by as many as eight against Bureau Valley, but with 12.5 left in the first half, Bureau took a 13-11 lead, and wouldn’t give the lead up again.

For a while what seemed to be a tight game, turned one sided, as steals, free throws and a number of Bureau defensive stops led to a widening gap in the score. At one point in the first half, a Bureau player took a shot while falling down and multiple hands in her face. By the end of the first half, a 30-20 score separated the two clubs.

The second half started off with a bang as four quick points by both teams made it a 32-22 score, but it soon became one basket after another for Bureau, as with just fewer than 14 minutes remaining, Bureau widened the deficit 41-26.

A spark of life crept back into Pawnee after a basket cut the deficit to 47-30, but Bureau just did not stop their offensive bulldozing, as with just under four minutes remaining the score would be 52-33.

With Shelbyville and the Lady Tornadoes playing at the same time on the opposite end of the court, Bureau reached 50 points first that Sunday.

“Not bad I mean, we did some things we needed to do and got the ball where it needed to go,” Bureau Valley Manlius coach Jeff Olson said. “We got to work on our half-court defense. They haven’t played much together. So they got to get used to playing together. It seems like they’re having fun, and that’s the important thing.”

Despite the competition, Bickett said she came because you “meet a lot of different people, stay in a hotel, get to know your team better and bond with your team, and learn to play with your team better.”

Jay Stewart, from Taylorville High School, attempts a lay up during Saturday afternoon’s Girls Basketball Team Shootout Camp in Lantz Arena.

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