BY DAN STICKRADT
CORRESPONDENT
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — Rochester Adams surely has Rochester’s number when it comes to
girl s basketball — especially in games played at Oakland University.
The Highlanders defeated Rochester for the seventh straight time in Rochester Crosstown Showdown Friday at Oakland University’s Orena, racing out to an 11-0 run to start the game before cruising to a 71-26 non-league triumph.
The 50-point differential is believed to be the biggest in the history of the arch-rivalry, which dates back to the early 1970s.
Adams (4-8) forced Rochester into 26 turnovers and to a 28.2 shooting clip (11-for-39).
The Highlanders never trailed, as Adams opened with a 16-5 run and never looked back. The effort came one day following a 46-28 loss to Rochester Stoney Creek.
“One day after the loss to Stoney, this was a great confidence boosting game for us,” said first-year Adams head coach Jacki Steinacker. “(Maggie Rogers) was shooting the ball better tonight. We were attacking better.
“And this is always a fun game — to be here with all of the hype to play on this floor,” added Steinacker. “This was a good win for us.”
The Highlanders finished the night 26-for-64 from the floor (40.7 percent), converted 16-of-22 free throws (72.7 percent) and swished 3-of-11 three-pointers in the rout.
Rogers, a senior guard, had a fine all-around game by making 10-of-12 field goals, finishing with a game-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds and three steals for Adams — now 8-2 in the crosstown series played at OU.
Senior Ryian Owusu added 16 points and three steals — the Highlanders recorded 16 swipes on the night — and junior guard Makayla Smith had 12 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists. Senior forward Hannah Simard contributed six points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals for Adams.
The Falcons had eight turnovers in the first quarter and did not score a point until there was 32 seconds left in the opening frame when junior Jenna Norgrove swished a three-pointer.
Rochester opened the second quarter with a 9-3 run to close to within 19-14. The Falcons could get no closer.
A quick Adams 11-0 run to start the third quarter, fueled by five straight Rochester turnovers, gave Adams a 47-18 cushion with 5:44 left in the stanza.
Rochester called timeout, but even that could stop the bleeding. By the end of the third stanza, Adams was up 58-24.
“To shoot the ball as well as we did — I am definitely happy about that,” said Steinacker. “It’s nice to have that game every once in a while where you’re not the one that’s getting beat up on. I definitely feel for Rochester. I’ve been on ends like that as well.”
Freshman forward Jordan Banks had six points and six rebounds for Rochester (2-11).
“It was one of those games where we knew we had to keep it in the 40s or maybe 30s. We are not a great-shooting team and we needed to keep it a low scoring (affair) in order to have a chance to win,” said Rochester coach Adam Sheldon. “We did a great job of closing it down to five points midway through the second quarter, then Adams started hitting shots and we never recovered.”