Bill Neibch Falcon Classic at Wheaton North
Just when you thought Schaumburg might be the girls basketball version of the New England Patriots, Hinsdale Central forced them into playing more like this year's Miami Dolphins.
The Saxons' unbeaten string came to end Saturday night at the hands of once-beaten Hinsdale Central, 41-27, in the finals of the Bill Neibch Falcon Classic at Wheaton North.
The Red Devils (16-1) used a combination of stingy defense, patient offense and an unusually poor shooting performance by the Saxons (16-1).
And they did it right from the get-go. Sophomore forward Toni Kokenis scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the first quarter on 4-of-7 shooting, including a 3-pointer.
The Saxons never got closer than 6 after the first quarter -- and anytime they had a chance to get back in it, they misfired and misfired again on shots well-challenged by the Red Devils.
"That's the same defense we always play," said coach Steve Gross.
His girls didn't see it quite the same way.
"All five of their starters can score. We had to step up our defense," said Kokenis. "We had to fight around screens."
Schaumburg managed to slow her in the second half, thanks in particular to the defensive effort of Drewann Pancratz, but the Saxons never capitalized on the offensive end.
The Saxons forced more turnovers with their press, generated more high-percentage shots, and just more shots, period, but shot just 12 of 38 for the game.
Hinsdale Central shot a much more-patient 13-of-25 -- and controlled the boards.
Molly Kinsella (12 points) and Katie Delaney paced that effort,
Schaumburg's Gabby Blackwell had a good game around the basket (team-high 10 points).
"We had 52 possessions, we converted 12 times," said Saxons coach Bill Murmann. "I'm happy to get 52 possessions against a team like Hinsdale Central. We have to get more than 12 baskets. I want to give Hinsdale Central a lot of credit."
"I want another game," said Saxons senior Kylie Castans. "I think we didn't come out aggressive."
"They're upset," Murmann said of his players. "They're very upset and that's good. Through adversity comes growth."
-- Howard Schlossberg
Waubonsie Valley 56, Glenbard South 50:ŒThe way Glenbard South and Waubonsie Valley fought tooth and nail Saturday at the Bill Neibch Falcon Classic, it seemed the tourney title was at stake.
But then you don't make waves in Illinois girls basketball by being passive, on the court or off, and both teams aspire to postseason glory.
The Warriors held off a furious fourth-quarter Glenbard South rally to capture third place at Wheaton North, winning 56-50.
"They're a tough team," Waubonsie Valley point guard Anna Gault said. "They came in the fourth seed, so we knew it was going to be a pretty tough game. It was a little intense. We were kind of worried, but we came through."
"We really wanted to win," Raiders senior center Alicia Englehardt said. "We were down at half, but we wanted to come out, try our hardest to come back. I think our defense got us back in the game, definitely."
Waubonsie Valley (15-1) jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the first quarter, and the margin fluctuated between 8 and 16 points through the third quarter, which ended with the Warriors up 42-26.
The Raiders (11-5) didn't yield, though.
Maja Despot opened the fourth period with a three-point play, Engelhardt followed with a bucket of her own to cut the lead to 11, and the tone was set. Engelhardt finished with a team-high 14 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Despot added 11 points and 8 rebounds.
The Raiders knocked the lead to single digits on a Meghan Pipal putback with 3:57 to play, but they never got closer than 6.
The Warriors had their free-throw shooting to thank for that. They made 18 of 22 in the final quarter, going without a field goal.
Danielle Brown led the Warriors with 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Gault added 13 points, 5 assists and 6 steals.
"Anna's been a staple for us the last four years, and I thought she had a spectacular tournament," Warriors coach Kris Kalivas said. "Fortunately, when the ball's in her hands we're pretty comfortable with it."
It was a good showing for the Raiders in their first season visiting Wheaton North for the holidays.
"We were previously at the Oak Lawn tournament, and we played pretty, in general, not-so-great competition," Glenbard South coach Julie Fonda said, "and I wanted to come here because whether you win or lose, you still play good teams and it gets you ready for the second half of the season. I didn't feel like we were prepared last year after our Christmas tournament for the second half. This year I feel like we are."
Likewise, banged-up Waubonsie Valley saw improvement but still couldn't get past Hinsdale Central, its annual tourney nemesis.
"We were hoping to get to the championship, and we were hoping to knock off Hinsdale Central for one time in the last few years, but I was proud of the kids for how they battled all week," Kalivas said.
-- Orrin Schwarz
West Aurora 47, Jacobs 46:ŒWhen you win by 1 point in overtime, there are so many turning points and potential "key moments" that it's almost impossible to recount them all.
But the West Aurora girls basketball team finished a scrambling performance with one final surge inside the final half-minute of overtime to tip Jacobs 47-46 for the West Aurora Bill Neibch Classic consolation title.
"It seemed like we were always down and catching up," West Aurora coach Connie Siljendahl said.
The victory completes a 3-1 performance at the Neibch Classic for the Blackhawks. After losing its opener to Hersey, West Aurora (9-6) moved through the consolation side of the bracket to claim the title.
"We're proud of what we did," Siljendahl said. "We were down three starters in the game. But Sam (Alvis) and Maddie (Whitt) came in and they were JV players and we looked out of synch."
Though there were still some rough spots, the Blackhawks were much more cohesive in Saturday's contest than they were in Wednesday's tournament opener.
Tyronza McGowan's free throws were key -- she made 2-of-5 in the overtime and hit the 2 free throws, in separate shooting situations, that gave the Blackhawks a 47-44 lead with 11 seconds left.
When McGowan missed after putting her team up 46-44, Devin Vaughn grabbed the rebound and fed McGowan, who was fouled.
"That was big," Siljendahl said. "I told (Vaughn) that if she never got another rebound, that was a big one right there."
Jacobs worked hard to keep Kyra Watson under wraps under the basket. As a result, Watson finished with 7 points and struggled with foul trouble through the game.
Kiara Towles stepped into the scoring leadership role. She scored 15 points before fouling out late in overtime.
"They all did their part," Siljendahl said. "We knew Jacobs is a tremendous defensive team. We walked through things, but until you're out there, you find yourself in the wrong spots."
Jacobs' Markie Rahn caused problems all night with her inside moves and her mid-range shooting ability. She had 15 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 24.
From Rahn's contribution, there was a dropoff. Hailey Cnota and Maria Tamburrino scored 6 points apiece for the Eagles.
Jacobs led for much of the game after jumping to a 7-2 lead. The Eagles had an 11-point lead midway through the second quarter and led 24-20 at halftime.
Although West Aurora rallied to take the lead in the third quarter, Jacobs still led 35-32 entering the final quarter. Even in the final minute of regulation, Jacobs held a 40-38 lead. Free throws by Vaughn and Watson forced the 40-40 tie that carried into overtime.
-- Darryl Mellema
Hersey 56, Elk Grove 44: Hersey received 18 points from junior Kelly Rogowski and 16 from senior Sarah Stoltzner while using an 11-4 third-quarter run to break open a close game and defeat Mid-Suburban East rival Elk Grove 56-44 for seventh place at the Bill Neibch Falcon Classic.
Rogowski and Stoltzner combined for 7 of Hersey's 11 points in the third quarter.
The Huskies (2-2 in tourney), who were unseeded in the tourney and defeated two seeded teams while falling to the No. 1 and No. 4, seeds, shot 5 of 7 at the line in the fourth quarter to protect the lead.
Leading Elk Grove (11-6) was Ashley Capatosto with 16 points.
Hersey (5-10) has been the visitor for 14 of its 15 games this season.
Glenbrook South 48, Wheaton North 41:ŒHost Wheaton North (10-4) received 11 points from Michelle Scandora and 10 from Madison Goudy, but lost the game for fifth place in its Bill Neibch Falcon Classic.
The Falcons held a 14-13 edge after one quarter, but Glenbrook South outscored them 22-13 over the next two quarters to claim a 35-27 lead.
St. Charles East 40, Glenbard North 37:ŒSt. Charles East held a 19-12 advantage after the first quarter on the way to winning the 11th-place contest at Wheaton North.
Kathleen Hernandez led all scorers with 15 points and Megan Ney netted 12 for Glenbard North (4-13).
Lyons 50, Downers North 42:ŒThe offensive fireworks flew early as Lyons took a 30-18 lead in the first quarter en route to taking 13th place at Wheaton North.
Missy Blazej canned three 3-pointers and registered 14 points for Downers North (7-10).
Willowbrook 56, Elgin 22:ŒThe Warriors (8-9) took a 28-11 lead in the 15th-place contest and earned their first victory at Wheaton North.
Ashley Kanelos' 11 points and Angela Domin's 10 led the winners.