A rivalry game with a new trophy to the winner goes to Lutheran.
ROCKFORD (WREX) — Rockford Lutheran and Rockford Christian call their basketball rivalry the Crosstown Showdown, complete with a new trophy for the winner to keep until they play again. The Lady Crusaders scored their first win of the showdown at Crosstown, as Lady Royal defeated the Lions 63-36.
Kaylee Bankes scored 21 points thanks to a solid outside shot to help Lutheran take a double-digit lead at halftime. Soraya Parker scored her 15 points for the Lutheran, while Hannah Morgan (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Sidney Carlson (11 points, 12 steals) added double-doubles.
“I’m very proud of our team,” said Carlson, who also added six assists. “We really played as a team and everyone did their part. That’s what made us stand out tonight.”
The boys will be playing their version of the crosstown showdown on Thursday night in a highly anticipated matchup. It’s the first of two of his meetings between teams this year, and crosstown Showdown games don’t count toward conference standings. The two teams met last year in a divisional championship, which was won by the Lutherans. The atmosphere at Rockford Christian should be raucous on Thursday night.