Winnebago girls basketball was 'beaten up' in first loss. Here's how it bounced back

BYRON — The Winnebago girls bounced right back from their first loss of the season to show they are still the team to beat in the Big Northern Conference with a 65-43 pounding of Byron on Wednesday.

The star senior for Winnebago (22-1, 5-0 BNC), returning all-stater Miyah Brown, scored 17 points, but she didn't start after missing practice the day before because of a family issue. She didn't score in the first quarter, but it didn't matter as Winnebago stormed out to a 12-4 lead.

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After suffering a tough setback to Class 3A power Peoria Notre Dame on Saturday, Winnebago showed why it's still a 2A powerhouse with a dominant win over another of the conference's top teams in Byron.

"It's nice to see our rotations get going, and we're not just relying on that first five all the time," Winnebago coach Judy Krause said. "And Byron had the same record as us in the conference and they're always a tough opponent. Our kids really wanted to come out and show that, hey, we got beaten up pretty good over the weekend, but we can still go out there and get a good team win when we need it."

Winnebago is still ranked No. 1 in the latest 2A poll despite falling 57-45 to Peoria ND, now ranked No. 3 in 3A. And it showed against Byron (17-4, 4-1), which came in on a six-game winning streak, and had only one loss in 2022.

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"We talked about this being a measuring stick game to kind of see where we were," Byron coach Eric Yerly said. "We had a bad first half, but credit Winnebago's defense. We have not seen quite that kind of quickness on defense all season long."

Byron won back-to-back 2A state titles in 2016 and 2017. Winnebago is searching for its first state title.

But it has been Winnebago of late, having won five straight regional championships, and having knocked Byron out of the postseason in four consecutive years.

The Tigers had no answer for Winnebago this time either. The visitors surged out to a 34-11 halftime lead, which grew to as high as 48-19 late in the third.

"This is tough, but our kids' heads are in the right place," Yerly said. "We'll be back, and there's a lot of basketball left to play this year."

Byron was led by Ava Kultgren with 17 points and Izzie McKinley with eight. Winnebago's Campbell Schrank added 14 points and Renee Rittmeyer chipped in with 10.

"Right now, it's about staying healthy," Krause said, "and continuing to work together. We're doing that right now. We'll be all right."

Now Winnebago can lock up the BNC title, and continue to cement their argument for a No. 1 seed in the sub-sectional, with a win over the other last remaining unbeaten team in conference play, Stillman Valley (19-5, 5-0), on Saturday.

Jay Taft: jtaft@rrstar.com; @JayTaft

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Winnebago girls basketball rebounds with victory vs. Byron