Glenbard South displays shooting touch
Glenbard South's opponents have to pick their poison.
If they choose to play man-to-man defense, 6-foot-3 junior forward Maggie Bair will eat them up inside. Sag into a zone, and senior guards Sarah Cohen and Mady Carli will fire away from the outside.
IC Catholic Prep chose the latter Tuesday in Glen Ellyn, and Cohen and Carli made the Knights pay.
Cohen and Carli both made four 3-pointers in the first half to give the Raiders a 30-9 cushion at halftime, and Bair exploded for 17 points in the second half as Glenbard South (7-1, 3-0 Metro Suburban Blue) rolled to a 65-18 victory.
"Mady and Sarah are really good shooters and Maggie gets a lot of attention, so it's nice when they get that opportunity to get those outside shots," said Glenbard South coach Morgan Kasperek.
The Raiders were 13 of 27 from 3-point distance Tuesday, a feat Kasperek attributed to assistant coach Steve Gross.
"Steve Gross is one the best shooting coaches in the state," Kasperek said. "Maggie went from somebody who couldn't even shoot a 3-pointer to Queen of the Hill (the Illinois High School Association's 3-point shooting contest) last year.
"You leave any of them open and they're going to make it, especially without a lot of pressure in their faces," Kasperek added. "And we were at home and we're comfortable here. Maggie's a great shooter. She's been downstate two years in a row for that 3-point shooting contest."
Bair led Glenbard South with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals. Cohen, who is headed to DePaul to play soccer, and Carli each had 14 points, with Cohen dishing 7 assists also. Senior forward Ally Daca chipped in with 10 points including a 3-pointer.
Cohen also made life miserable for IC Catholic Prep's guards.
"Sarah is an athlete," Kasperek said. "She competes and she's a phenomenal defender. She sets the tone for us defensively night in and night out."
Cohen said a key for the Raiders was moving the ball quickly and finding the open shooter.
"We just passed the ball fast and moved around," she said. "That created opportunities for the guards to shoot. My job is to get everyone else open and give them opportunities to score."
Cohen added that her shot needed a little work in the off-season.
"Coach Gross fixed a lot of things on my shot, like getting under the ball and using my legs more," she said.
Junior guard Jaida Smith led the Knights (2-4, 0-2) with 6 points and 6 rebounds and freshman Alia Johnson added 5 points.
"We played three girls (including Johnson) who we brought up yesterday," said IC Catholic Prep coach Kelsey James. "We had to fill some spots that we were not dressing today. They actually haven't even practiced together yet. We just threw them in there today to see how they'd do."