Welter, Buffalo Grove top Crystal Lake South
Buffalo Grove senior guard Maddie Welter was angered by Tuesday night's semifinal loss to Stevenson.
Welter took out her frustrations on Crystal Lake South in Wednesday's third place game of the 33rd Annual Charger Classic girls basketball tournament hosted by Dundee-Crown.
Welter, with eight 3-pointers, scored 31 points to lead the Bison to a 75-53 win over the Gators.
“I came into this game angry and with a chip on my shoulder,” said Welter. “I got some good open looks early in the game and was able to knock down some shots. It was a good way for our team to end the tournament.”
Welter started her 3-point sharpshooting in the first quarter, connecting on 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in scoring 15 points during the first 8 minutes.
The Bison (11-3), who made 9-of-15 from the field for 60 percent, led the Gators 22-12 after one quarter.
Welter added 2 more treys in the second quarter and ended the first half with 21 points and the Bison led by 13, 43-30 at intermission.
South coach Mark Mucha decided to change up defenses in the third quarter in order to slow down the hot shooting Welter and she didn't score a point in the quarter.
But, Georgette Topalis and Megan Gamber picked up the slack with 3s and Buffalo Grove led 55-40 after 24 minutes.
Welter regained her 3-point range in the fourth quarter burying 3 shots from behind the arc as the Bison pulled away from the Gators (13-6).
“Led by Maddie this is a very resilient group,” said Buffalo Grove coach Stephen Kolodziej. “We got punched in the gut by Stevenson (Tuesday) night but these girls always bounce back from losses. Finishing third in this prestigious tournament is quite an accomplishment.”
The Bison, who made 11-of-18 shots from 3-point range for 61 percent, received 14 points from Sammy Stejskal and Natali Dimitrova tallied 10.
Annika Sevcik led the Gators with 18 points while Kelly Gaede scored 15 and Chanel Fanter tallied 12.
“Welter is a great outside shooter and we tried to put more pressure on her in the second half,” said Mucha. “The games against New Trier and Buffalo Grove were at a different speed and different intensity level than we are used to. We are not at those levels yet. I am proud of the effort in this game and for the entire tournament.”