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Quick start fuels St. Charles East's win over Bartlett

A fast start was just what St. Charles East needed.

The Saints' girls' basketball team raced out to a 20-7 lead after one quarter and fought off a late Bartlett flurry to win the Upstate Eight crossover, 51-40, in Bartlett Tuesday night.

Sara Rosenfeldt, who last weekend became the program's all-time leading scorer, had 21 points, 12 rebounds, and a couple of blocked shots for the 3-5 Saints.

Ashley DiOrio also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards.

"We needed this," said St. Charles coach Aubree Schuett. "Bartlett's a great team. We watched a bunch of film and they have the ability to play big and be big. I thought we handled the outside shooting pretty well but most importantly, at the beginning of the game we handled it well."

The Saints took a 10-2 lead, with Rosenfeldt and DiOrio accounting for 10 of those points. Nicole Jordan hit two 3-pointers later in the period.

"We're always talking about coming out strong and coming out fast," said DiOrio. "It was really a confidence boost and we needed it tonight."

The Saints appeared on the verge of a blowout a couple of times, but the Hawks always battled back. SCE led by as many as 18, 37-19, early in the second half, but the Hawks answered with 4 straight points.

Bartlett really turned up the heat defensively in the fourth quarter, trapping and pressing on nearly every possession. The Hawks came up with 8 steals in the quarter and often turned them into points, but it was too little, too late. Eleven points was as close as they got. Savannah Standefer grabbed 3 of those steals.

Kayla Hare finished with 17 points and Alexis Sinclair added 11 for the Hawks (5-4), but slow starts continue to plague them.

"It's been a problem for the last week or so," said Bartlett coach Brad Hunt. "Even in some of the games we've won we've gotten off to a slow start and then we just gradually pick it up.

Led by the 6-foot Rosenfeldt, the Saints dominated the backboards with a 33-16 advantage. Bartlett had no one with more than 4 rebounds.

St. Charles East played without injured point guard Lexi Kiefer so everyone helped out moving the ball. Katherine Weinzirl had 4 assists but all 5 starters had at least 1.

Rose Stackhouse added 7 points for St. Charles East.

  Bartlett's Justina Hernandez and St. Charles East's Sara Rosenfeldt and Emily Vitkus compete for a rebound Tuesday in Bartlett. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Bartlett's Miranda Hedeen and St. Charles East's Emily Vitkus collide as they go for a loose ball Tuesday in Bartlett. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Bartlett's Shelly Banks tries to defend against St. Charles East's Ashley DiOrio as she shoots Tuesday in Bartlett. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Bartlett's Lexie Sinclair makes a move around St. Charles East's Sara Rosenfeldt Tuesday in Bartlett. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
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