Palatine overcomes Jacobs

Basketball teams generally don't know what to expect in early-season games.

The Jacobs girls basketball team surprised Palatine with an effective 2-3 zone in the first quarter of Wednesday's Dundee-Crown Thanksgiving Tournament game.

Starting in the second quarter, the Pirates went to their outside game which the Golden Eagles had no answer for and pulled away for 45-22 victory.

The strategy worked well during the first eight minutes as Jacobs limited Palatine to 2 baskets and held a 6-5 lead after the first eight minutes.

"We didn't expect that pressure from Jacobs. I wasn't sure what they were going to do, but coming out and trapping out of a 2-3 zone, we were not expecting that," said Palatine coach Mark Johnson. "So it's early in the season, we brought the girls in and put something together and they adjusted well to it, and started knocking down some shots."

In the second quarter, Palatine connected on 9 shots, 3 from beyond the arc to take a 26-15 halftime lead.

"We are vertically challenged as a group so we are hoping to let them go and shoot the basketball," Johnson said.

Sophomore Elena Porrata, who led all scorers with 11 points, canned two of the treys for the Pirates.

"We were slow with some of our rotations in the second quarter and that hurt us and I think that's when the game got away from us a little bit," said Jacobs coach Joe Benoit.

Poor shooting also hampered the Golden Eagles. Carly Sidor's free throws accounted for 4 of the team's first-quarter points. Sidor finished the night with 8 points.

"Offensively, defensively, she was a great leader tonight," Benoit said. "We just need some other kids to step up."

Palatine held Jacobs (0-1) to single digits in all four quarters.

"I can't fault our kids' effort tonight. The shots weren't just falling for us. We had nice looks and we left them short," said Benoit. "On the defensive end, I'm actually pleased. I thought our kids gave max effort tonight. We just need to correct a few things on the offensive end of the floor."

Palatine (2-0) led 35-19 after three quarters.

Another surprise were freshmen in Jacobs' frontcourt. Guard Kyra Cabusao started the game and classmate Elizabeth Schwarz came in off the bench.

Cabusao's layup at the 4:33 mark of the first quarter, the Golden Eagles' only basket in the period, was her first varsity score. She tallied 7 points in the game.

"They are a really good team but I wasn't on my best game tonight," Cabusao said. "But there are more games and I just have to keep my head up."

Schwarz (5 points) started Jacobs' scoring in the second quarter with her first bucket, a 3-pointer from the right wing.

"I'm really proud of those two. For them to come in and contribute the way they did is great," Benoit said. "And they are only going to get better."

Brittany Shapiro chipped in 10 points for the Pirates while teammate Kendra Lindell tallied 7.