Alter began one of the toughest stretches of the girls high school basketball season Wednesday night.

The Knights hosted 10-1 Middletown Madison. Saturday, they host chief rival Chaminade Julienne (8-3) in a game for the lead in the North Division of the Girls Greater Cincinnati League. Monday, they are at Beavercreek (7-3) in a big nonleague game and are home three days later vs. Cincinnati McNicholas (6-3).

To be successful in those games, Alter co-coaches Kendal Peck and Chris Hart said their team had to get to the basket, rebound and not turn the ball over.

Mission accomplished Wednesday with a 56-43 win over Madison in a physical contest. The Knights (8-2) have won five straight.

Junior Maddie Bazelak and sophomore Emma Bockrath led Alter with 14 points each while junior Kara Bockrath added 13.

More important than their points was driving to the basket consistently and rebounding against a bigger, more physcial Madison team.

Unofficially, Bazelak had nine rebounds, Kara Bockrath eight and Emma Bockrath seven.

“We haven’t been as physical as we need to be in a lot of games,” said Hart. “We knew we had to be against Madison. We were a little timid at first, but as the game went along we really got after it on the boards.”

Madison was a victim of the same trouble shooting the ball as it suffered in the finals of the Miami University-Middetown touranment Dec. 29.

During a 40-32 win in the championship game over Covington (Ky.) Holy Cross, the Mohawks went the last 11:55 of the game without a basket.

Wednesday, after trailing only 14-13 after the first quarter, Madison went 1-for-17 in the second quarter without scoring in the last 5:30.

Madison trailed 26-16 at halftime. Alter’s Bazelak buried a 3-point shot in the first 10 seconds of the third quarter for a 13-point lead Madison could not overcome.

Meghan Miller led the Mohawks with 12 points while fellow guard Olivia Philpot had 11. Josey Harding added eight points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots. Michelle Brunswick had 13 rebounds and three blocks.