Strong Saxons want even more
Don't let the 56-29 win against visiting Palatine or the 9-0 record mislead you.
Schaumburg is still searching for that complete 32-minute effort.
"We definitely feel we can get much better," said Schaumburg senior Drewann Pancratz after scoring 10 points in Thursday's girls basketball victory. "We still believe we haven't played a complete game yet."
Looking like a well-oiled machine in the first quarter as they made 9 of 18 field goals and grabbed a 19-9 lead over the visiting Pirates, the Saxons nearly ran out of gas in the second quarter, missing their first 9 shots and going scoreless for the first 4:04.
"Maybe we get a little too confident and let our guard down a little bit," said the Saxons' Kylie Castans, referring to last Friday's game at Barrington where the Saxons nearly let an 11-point first-quarter lead slip away before winning 56-52.
Castans, a 5-foot-10 senior, converted the Saxons' first field goal of the quarter on a layup with 2:15 left in the first half.
Palatine's Katie MacFabe, who posted 17 points in a 40-26 defeat last Friday at Conant, kept the Pirates (2-8, 0-3) within striking distance by scoring 10 of the team's first 12 points.
"She kind of did what she wanted to do in the first half," Schaumburg coach Bill Murmann said of the 6-3 junior, who finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 7 blocks.
Gabby Blackwell, a 5-11 senior, continued her strong season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and 6-4 senior Gryte Satas pulled down 6 of her 7 rebounds as the Saxons held a lopsided 22-9 rebounding edge in the first half.
But even with the Pirates shooting 28 percent (6-for-21) in the opening 16 minutes, Schaumburg (3-0 in the MSL West) held a modest 25-17 lead at the break as it managed only 6 points in the second quarter -- all by Castans.
"It doesn't matter where the points come from, as long as they come," Murmann said.
And they kept coming from Castans, an All-Area selection last season. After 2 free throws by Heather Zimmerman (5 points) pulled the Pirates within 30-23, Castans (9 rebounds) exploded with 8 consecutive points - a layup, a steal and a layup, a left-handed baby hook in the paint and a 15-foot jumper from the right baseline.
"She's very good, she's a very nice player," said Palatine coach Ron Theberge.
Despite scoring a game-high 23 points, Castans was more excited to talk about the Saxons' effort on the other end of the floor that led to 20 Palatine turnovers and only 3 field goals allowed in the second half.
"We've really been working on defense," Castans said. "Second half we stepped up."