Burlington Central’s Audrey LaFleur is one of those players who would rather play all 32 minutes.
Trying to get the junior guard off the court during a blowout victory to conserve some energy for down the road admittedly isn’t always the easiest conversation to have with her.
“I want to be out there all the time,” LaFleur said. “I think I can get the ball to my teammates well.
“I don’t like being on the bench.”
LaFleur didn’t take much of a break Wednesday night, scoring a team-high 18 points for the Rockets in a 63-52 Fox Valley Conference victory over host Jacobs in Algonguin.
Kendall Zierk scored 13 points off the bench for Burlington Central (21-9, 15-3) and Julia Scheuer added 12. Olivia Schuster led all scorers with 21 points for Jacobs (13-15, 8-9), while Sarina Acheatel had 11 off the bench.
Burlington Central coach Michael Carani knows how difficult it is to keep LaFleur off the court, which is one of the many things he raves about when describing her.
“I love that,” Carani said. “That’s a tough trait that not everyone has.”
Carani has watched LaFleur’s game develop through the years, with regularly filling the stat sheet and scoring at all three levels standing out. There’s more to it though, according to her coach.
“Outside of her development, she sees the floor much better,” Carani said. “She does a really good job of getting her teammates involved. She knows when she needs to take over and she knows when she needs to get others involved.
“I’ve seen that progression over the last couple years where she realizes she doesn’t have to do everything.”
When she does get going, however, things happen quickly. The Rockets had a sluggish start Wednesday coming off Monday’s tough loss to Huntley.
After Jordyn Charles made a 3-pointter to get the Rockets on the board, LaFleur went to work. She sank two free throws, then promptly stole the inbounds pass and laid it right back in.
She scored again on the next possession, showing how quickly she can turn around a game.
“Just keeping up the pace of the game and being able to distribute the ball, she brings that energy,” Carani said of LaFleur. “They feed off of that. You can really see the different style of play when she’s on the court and when she isn’t.”
That aggressive nature leads to her being on the floor more than most.
Not afraid of contact, LaFleur thrives off it.
“I try to drive,” LaFleur said. “I try to get the foul. Then they’re up in my face and I don’t let it affect me. I still try to drive and get the foul.”
Jacobs coach Jonny Reibel was happy with how his team hung in there, however.
The Golden Eagles, who have their most wins since 2021, have played the top teams in the conference competitively.
“We definitely took a step forward this year,” Reibel said. “It’s been good for them to experience. It’s given us some positive energy.”
Adding to Audrey LaFleur’s positive experience this season has been welcoming her sister Scarlett, a freshman forward, to the starting lineup.
“It’s been fun,” Audrey said. “I like feeding it to her and her getting some shots. I like driving with her to practice. She’s doing really well. She’s had some great games.
“It’s a boost of confidence for her, especially being a freshman.”
The Rockets have made the jump this season from sixth to second in the Fox Valley Conference standings. That has LaFleur confident going into the postseason.
“I think we have a chance to win regionals and go further,” she said.
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
