Elmhurst 78, Carthage 63
KENOSHA, Wis. - The Carthage women's basketball team opened 2026 in Tarble Arena with a Saturday contest against the Elmhurst Bluejays. After a strong first quarter, the Firebirds fell behind the Bluejays in the second quarter and could not recover before time expired.



Whitney Thompson got the offense going for the Firebirds with a layup on the opening possession, with Malia Green following the score with a made three point basket. Elmhurst responded with a three from Natalie Harty, tying the game at 5-5. A pair of layups for Green and a score from Grace Cord propelled the Firebirds to an 11-5 lead with 5:30 to play in the opening quarter. A 7-2 run for the Bluejays cut the deficit to 13-12. The two teams traded scores over the final three minutes, with Carthage holding a 19-18 lead at the end of the quarter. Green led the Firebirds with 13 points in the first quarter.

The Bluejays took the lead on a 7-2 run to open the second quarter. A three from Alyssa Orozco and a layup from Cord briefly gave the Firebirds a 26-25 lead before a 15-4 run gave Elmhurst an 11 point lead with two minutes left in the first half. The Bluejays offense continued to hold the 11 point lead into halftime, leading the Firebirds 44-33 at the break. Cord led the Firebirds in the quarter with four points, while Green's 15 points led the squad in the half.

Back to back scores for Cord at the start of the third quarter cut the deficit to nine points for the Firebirds, before back to back scores for the Bluejays extended the Elmhurst lead to 51-37 with 7:23 to play in the third. The Firebirds responded with a 6-0 run which featured a pair of layups for Orozco, to cut the gap to eight points. The Firebirds would finish the third quarter down 55-45.

The Bluejays offense found a way to open the lead to a game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter but a 10-4 run for the Firebirds closed out the game with the Bluejays defeating the Firebirds by 15 points.


 

• Malia Green - 25 points*, 8 rebounds*, 2 steals*, 12-14 FG*
• Grace Cord - 10 points, 7 rebounds
• Alyssa Orozco - 8 points, 3 assists*
• Jessie Pakaski - 3 assists*, 2 rebounds

*led team in stat category








The Firebirds (6-7, 0-4 CCIW) return to Tarble Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 7 as the squad hosts North Park at 7 p.m. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.