Dundee-Crown wins 3rd straight
There's a new look to the Dundee-Crown girls basketball team this season.
It's called confidence.
And now, riding a modest three-game winning streak for the first time in third-year coach Michelle Russell's tenure, the Chargers are letting opposing teams know they're no longer the pushover they've been the last couple of years.
Dundee-Crown shot lights out in the first half then did a good job of protecting its lead down the stretch, outlasting Crystal Lake Central 43-40 Monday night in a Fox Valley Conference crossover game played before a good-sized and enthusiastic crowd in Carpentersville.
“We hung in there. That's the best first half we've had this season and I was afraid of a lull in the second half,” said Russell, whose 3-6 team has now surpassed its win total of last year and is one win short of equaling the total number of victories it had the past two seasons combined.
The Chargers were 11 of 19 shooting in the first half, jumping out to a 23-13 lead at the break. Crystal Lake Central (4-4) made just 4 of 18 shots in the first half.
“We've been working hard on limiting our turnovers and making our easy shots and we did that tonight,” said Russell, whose team turned the ball over just 15 times, half the number of giveaways the Chargers averaged last season.
D-C looked in the verge of a rout, taking a 32-18 lead after a Diamond Williams basket with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. But the Tigers weren't about to pack it in and finished the period with a 6-0 run that gave them some hope entering the fourth quarter down just 32-24.
“We talked at halftime about coming out with the same intensity,” said Russell. “But we had a lull and that will be something to work on.”
Trailing 39-33 with 1:39 to play, CL Central closed to within 1 at 39-38 as Nellie Youel, who finished with 15 points, hit 2 free throws and a 3-pointer in a 17-second span.
That's when one of the smallest players on the court, Chargers'; 5-foot-5 guard Klaudia Tabor, stepped up big-time. First, she hit 2 free throws with 51 seconds to go to make it a 41-38 game. Then, after CLC's Erin Frazier (20 points) scored to make it 41-40 with 36 ticks left, D-C's Ali Sanders went to the line. She made the first of two to make ut 42-40 but missed the second. Tabor, though, fought inside and grabbed the rebound then hit 1 of 2 from the line to force the Tigers into a 3-point attempt to tie. Youel's running 3 at the buzzer was an airball and D-C had its third straight win.
“I just took a deep breath and followed through,” said Tabor, who had 11 points and 6 rebounds. “I've been in that spot before.”
“Tabor is a 5-5 kid who plays like she's 5-10,” Russell said. “She's always in there rebounding and she always has a hand on the ball. She worked really hard in the offseason.”
Tabor acknowledged the Chargers, who lost two other games they feel they should have won, are playing with more confidence this season.
“That first win kind of lifted us up,” she said. “Hopefully we can keep it up.”
Sanders led a balanced D-C attack with 12 points and 5 assists. Carlin Faulkner added 10 points and Williams had 11 rebounds as the Chargers owned the glass 33-16.
“These kids have some basketball sense,” said Russell, whose club opens the FVC Valley Division season at defending co-champion Cary-Grove. “Sanders is staring to realize what she can do on the court and Diamond Williams has been owning the boards.”
Wheeling 41, Jacobs 32: Melanie Schwerdtmann had 15 points including three 3-pointers but Jacobs (0-7) remained winless on the season with this nonconference loss on the road.
Prospect 47, St. Viator 42: Prospect's Marissa Pettenuzzo went to grammar school or grew up playing park district basketball with a lot of the girls on St. Viator's girls team.
“So it's always fun to play them,” said the 5-foot-10 senior forward.
And it's always been a win for Pettenuzzo while on the Knights varsity team.
This time, the Knights extended a 32-29 lead to an 8-point advantage with 5:06 left in the nonconference game and went on to record a 47-42 triumph over the Lions at the Jean Walker Field House in Mt. Prospect.
“We finally shook free from them,” said Pettenuzzo, whose team trailed 12-8 in the second quarter before nudging ahead 18-16 at the intermission. “It took us a while to get into a flow but when we did, we couldn't be stopped.
“It's the first time we really played as a team. We cut down our turnovers and listened to our game plan.”
Pettenuzzo's back-to-back 10-footer and driving layup gave the Knights (4-4) a 36-30 lead with 5:36 left in the third period.
Senior guard Sarah Winans led the Knights with 15 points while classmate Ashley Wabik had 1 field goal in every quarter and finished with 9 points.
The Lions (3-4) converted 9 of 22 free throws.
Elk Grove 27, Lake Forest 18: Michelle Calmeyn (11 points) and Maggie Fries (5 points, 1 3-pointer) paced host Elk Grove (6-3) in the nonconference matchup.
Christian Liberty Academy 40, Crossroads 36: Brittany Negron (17 points, 15 rebounds) and Jayna Rowland (8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) led the host Chargers (3-2).