Bartlett rallies from 15 down, beats Jacobs
From a breakaway layup to an open 3-pointer and everything in-between, nothing would fall in the first half Tuesday for University of St. Louis-Missouri recruit Kayla Hare.
The senior, Bartlett's all-time leader in 3s, missed her first 14 shots against Jacobs at the Wheaton North Bill Neibch Falcon Classic. She scored just before the halftime buzzer to finish the first half 1 for 15, then caught fire in the second half.
Hare's 18 second-half points plus Bartlett's relentless full-court pressure enabled the Hawks to rally from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter and defeat Jacobs 54-47.
Hare ended with a game-high 20 points plus 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals, shaking off the slow start to help her team outscore Jacobs 32-10 to end the game.
"It's rough but as a shooter you have to shoot through it," Hare said of the cold first half. "You have to think if you aren't going to shoot well, go to the rim or drive and kick to people who are shooting well.
"My teammates really encouraged me to keep going. Something will fall. Maybe if my 3s won't go I'll get to the rim or shoot free throws to help us."
No. 6 seed Bartlett (7-5) will play No. 3 Glenbard South (11-1) with an 11-game winning streak in the quarterfinals at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Jacobs (4-7) faces Hinsdale Central (3-8) at 10:30 a.m.
The Hawks forced 35 turnovers and held Jacobs to 5 points in the fourth quarter.
"You are not going to beat anybody with that many turnovers," Jacobs coach Joe Benoit said. "For the first three quarters I thought we controlled the pace. Once Kayla started putting it on the deck and drive and attack we really struggled to close out. And we gave up a few crucial offensive rebounds late.
"We have to find a way to have a little more composure and find a way to close the deal."
Jacobs took a 24-19 halftime lead behind sophomore Kyra Cabusao, who scored 14 of her 19 points in the half.
Courtney Pahl and Elizabeth Schwartz sank 3s in a 10-0 run for Jacobs to start the third quarter. Hare made her only trey in 13 attempts, then Kerri Healy drilled a 3 to put Jacobs up 37-22.
Freshman Lexi Sinclair gave Bartlett a boost with a 3-pointer just before the third quarter buzzer to bring the Hawks within 42-35. Like Hare, Sinclair struggled shooting - that shot was her only make in 11 attempts; she sank 7 of 8 free throws to join Hare in double figures with 10 points.
"We need those two to shoot well," Bartlett coach Brad Hunt said. "I kept telling them we are going to prove there's not a lid on the rim. It was a huge 3."
Cabusao picked up her fourth foul late in the third quarter with Jacobs up by 8, and she was on the bench at the start of the fourth quarter when Hare scored 6 points to bring the Hawks within 44-43.
Cabusao's 2 free throws with 3:45 left gave Jacobs a 46-43 lead, but Teagan Noesen's putback on a third chance followed by Hare's drive with 2:39 remaining put the Hawks ahead 47-46, their first lead since the first quarter.
Hare again penetrated for a basket to extend the margin to 3. Schwartz had a chance for a game-tying 3-pointer rim out with 45 seconds to go, and Sinclair made 4 straight free throws to seal the comeback.
For Jacobs, Healy scored 15 points, Pahl grabbed 9 rebounds and Schwartz and Healy both had 8 boards.
"Overall I thought our kids played really well," Benoit said. "For about 25 minutes I thought our kids played pretty well. Kyra, that was her best game of the year. She was attacking well, finishing well and shooting from the outside as well. The foul trouble hurt us. All correctable things. We have to keep our heads up."
Noesen added 9 points and Shelly Banks scored 8 for Bartlett. Those two combined to make 7 of 13 shots on a day the rest of the team was 10 for 50.
"It's something we've been fighting for awhile now, poor shooting first halves," Hunt said. "I told them good teams find a way to win. What I loved is they didn't stop battling, they didn't stop fighting. We just chipped away. I knew with our press, their legs are going to go. Some girls that came off the bench stepped up today."