Hersey, Schaumburg, Elk Grove win

Hersey dialed long distance to start the Falcon Classic at Wheaton North High School on Monday afternoon.

And it proved to be right the call as the Huskies sank 10 3-point baskets from 17 attempts en route to a 57-34 triumph over Glenbard North.

Hersey (8-3), seeded No. 2 in the 16-team event, advances to today's 4:30 p.m. quarterfinal against No. 7 seed Schaumburg (6-5).

The Huskies had 4 more 3-pointers than 2-point field goals in the game.

Leading the 3-point barrage was senior all-stater Megan Rogowski (game-high 20 points), who flung in 3 of her 6 long-range buckets in the first five minutes to give Hersey a 14-4 lead.

“We couldn't stop Rogowski's shooting outside,” said Panthers coach John Chamberlain, whose team is 2-9. “She did a great job getting open and they were patient finding her.”

Rogowski scored 14 of her points in a first half that Hersey won 35-16.

“We were patient and swung the ball around well,” said Rogowski, who was 6-of-11 from 3-point range and 7-of-16 for the game. “We should have a good game (today with Schaumburg). The Mid-Suburban West is tough and they are competing well in there so this should be a good match.”

Junior Corinne Busby (7 points) hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter and classmate Jen Hall (10 points) connected for a pair in the third quarter for the Huskies. They were both 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

“Not often do you have more 3-point baskets than 2-point baskets,” said Hersey coach Mary Fendley, whose team is a three-time champ at Wheaton North. “That (3-pointer) is the shot they were giving us, and I'm grateful we were knocking them down.”

Junior forward Maggie Hogen led the Huskies with 7 rebounds while senior Eileen Zydek chipped in 3 assists and 2 rebounds with her 9 points.

“Eileen played well,” Fendley added. “She has such a good sense defensively on helping out and also on offense with knowing how to make that extra pass. She made some good feeds to open players.”

Senior Stefanie Mueller (5 points) swished a nifty 6-footer while falling down and getting fouled early in the first quarter.

“I thought we came out with a real good start,” Mueller said. “We were taller and faster and we tried to take advantage of that. And it was good to get our bench in the game. Hopefully, we can keeping playing well (today). We would love to keep playing up to our seed.”

Junior Brianna Harn led the Panthers with 11 points while sophomore Amy Falson added 6.

“Brianna did some nice things,” Chamberlain added. “And Carson Jones (4 points) gave us a nice defensive effort.”

Schaumburg 52, Lyons Township 33: After playing top-notch defense to stun Hoffman Estates three days earlier 43-39, Schaumburg's girls basketball team hardly missed a beat in its opening game of the Falcon Classic at Wheaton North High School.

The Saxons held Lyons Township without a basket until Maggie Orlowski hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in the first half.

By then, the Saxons were leading 25-8 and well on their way to a 52-33 triumph as senior guard Rachel Stuehm scored 14 points, one shy of her season-high 15 against Proviso West in the season opener.

Schaumburg (6-5) will face Hersey (8-3) in today's 4:30 p.m. semifinal.

“My shots were finally falling,” said Stuehm, who also grabbed 8 rebounds. “I felt like they were going to go in.”

Her first shot to fall was from 3-point range and it gave the Saxons a 7-0 lead. Stuehm hit another 3-pointer with 5:48 left in the second which put her team ahead 14-3.

The Saxons limited Lyons (4-7) to 5 free throws and Orlowski's 3-pointer in the first 16 minutes.

“We are a skilled team and we had just been a little slump,” said Stuehm. “Our defense was strong. It was committing fouls that killed us. But we held them down.”

Forward Alyssa Saklak wasn't being held down early as she hit a 3-pointer to start the game and added a driving bank shot to give Schaumburg a 9-2 lead with 1:42 left in the first quarter.

However, the junior suffered a recurring ankle injury and was sidelined for most of the final three quarters.

“I just tweaked it,” said Saklak, who played long enough to also grab 5 rebounds with her 5 points. “This is the second time it's happened this season. I sprained it early in the season. I'll be back.”

“It's on of those on-going injuries,” said Saxons coach Ashley Berggren. “She tries to handle it the best she can.”

Stuehm hit 2 3-pointers and a pair of free throws in the second quarter when the Saxons outscored the Lions 16-5.

“We wanted to take time this game and focus on the offense because we know our next game will be tough (with Chicago-area power Hersey),” Berggren said. “Rachel, in particular, has been focusing on getting rebounds and putbacks. She's versatile. She's one of those players who can hit 3-pointer and box out down low.”

Junior Jenna Gerber added 10 points for Schaumburg while teammate Alexis Carravetta came off the bench to collect 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals.

The Saxons outrebounded Lyons 39-19.

“We've been stressing the importance of getting inside position and establishing ourselves in the paint,” said Berggren, who did those things so well herself as an standout for the University of Illinois and Barrington High School. “And we were setting goals for the kids throughout the game.”

The Saxons kept the pressure on in the third quarter when they outscored Lyons 15-6 as sophomore point guard Amanda Kelly scored both of her buckets.

Junior Kelly Skorczewski scored 5 points for the Saxons while Samantha Mellert also added 4.

“The Hoffman game was a big one for us,” Stuehm said. “It gives us a lot more confidence for this tournament.”

“That showed us we can beat anyone if we work hard and go after it,” Saklak added. “We are definitely working hard on defense and it showed in the first half.”

Elk Grove 46, Jacobs 13: No. 8 seed Elk Grove (8-6) held Jacobs to one field in the first three quarters — a 3-pointer in the second period quarter.

Sophomore Diamond Boyd led the Grenadiers with a career-high 17 points while Maggie Fries added 8 and Michelle Calmeyn 7.

Boyd also had 8 rebounds and 5 steals in the Grens' defensive gem.

“We saw them on tape and talked about what we had to do to shut them down,” said Grens coach Ryan Kirkorsky. “And the kids really responded defensively.”

Fries also had 3 steals and 6 rebounds while Kelly Naughton handed out 5 assists.

The Grens played man-to-man defense.

“We tried to get help side help, stop their dribble penetration and limit them to one shot,” Kirkorsky said.

The Grens meet top-seeded Waubonsie Valley in today's 7:30 p.m. semifinal.

“They (Waubonsie) are a ton,” Kirkrosky said. “They a very good team.”