London came to town and defeated Urbana, 64-61, in non-league girls basketball action Monday night.
The Red Raiders were strong on the glass, especially offensively, where the squad earned several second-chance opportunities.
“We just didn’t rebound,” UHS Coach Bill Moss said. “They’re a very good basketball team. They just killed us on the boards – too many second shots. That was basically the difference in the game.”
The score was tied at 12-12 after a quarter of play, but the visitors were able to gain some separation in the second quarter and pulled away to a 30-25 halftime lead, thanks in part to some key three-pointers and missed shots by Urbana.
“Too many empty trips up the floor,” Moss said. “The kids fought hard and did some good things. I’m proud of them. If we can just learn to beat the good teams …”
London was able to maintain that five-point lead at 49-44 going into the fourth quarter and then held off a furious Urbana charge in the closing minutes.
“We’ve got to learn to do the little things,” Moss said. “Get defensive stops, box out to keep them off the second shots – then we’ve got a chance.”
Urbana was led by Katy Curnutte’s game-high 26 points, to which she added 8 rebounds. Alaina Lyons had 12 points and Natalie Seeberg had 8 points with 11 rebounds.
Kaitlin Patterson had 19 points for the Red Raiders (11-3), while Mackenzie Minner added 14.
Urbana (6-9) plays at Southeastern on Thursday.
