Preps 24/7: Batavia girls basketball's Bayram injured

The Batavia girls basketball team suffered a potentially damaging injury on Saturday night when starting center Erin Bayram went down with an apparent knee injury.

Bayram, who appeared to be pursuing a loose ball, went to the floor in extreme agony midway through the third quarter of St. Charles East's 61-48 win at Batavia. A 6-foot-1 sophomore, Bayram watched the rest of the game with her left knee iced on the bench, clearly in considerable discomfort, before departing on crutches.

Batavia coach Kevin Jensen said Bayram would consult with a doctor about her prognosis Monday. He couldn't fault his players if some attention spans drifted the rest of the game.

"I'm sure they were [thinking of Bayram] because even as a sophomore we put Erin in position as a captain because she is a leader on our team," Jensen said. "She has a year of varsity [experience]. She's a mature individual in high school. So, yeah, it does kind of shake you up a little bit when you see her go down."

Despite missing the final quarter and a half Saturday, Bayram's 10 points tied for tops on the Bulldogs with junior forward Katie Ryan.