S. Elgin 57, Glenbard East 49

The South Elgin girls basketball team entered Tuesday night's nonconference matchup against Glenbard East with both home court advantage and a height advantage.

However, the Storm took nothing for granted, pressuring Glenbard East with full-court man coverage just one minute into the game, helping aid a 15-5 first quarter lead.

The Rams refused to quit countering with an early full-court press, while picking up the pace as the second quarter got under way. In the end the Storm prevailed via a 57-49 conclusion.

Junior center Courtney Kumerow and junior guard Genevieve Johnson combined for 10 points early to get the Storm on top. Kumerow (12 points, 8 rebounds) pulled down 5 rebounds in the first quarter alone giving South Elgin ample scoring opportunities.

Glenbard East cut the lead to 8 points before the break, sparked by a quick second-quarter drive from Kelsey Taylor. After a scoreless first, Taylor went on to lead all scorers with 23 points including 11 points during the third quarter.

"Kelsey had a nice game, but it takes more than one to win a game," said Glenbard East coach Nicole Miller. "South Elgin had a balanced attack offensively with three girls scoring in the double-digits."

Despite the height advantage, Glenbard East did a nice job of limiting points from the inside for South Elgin (12-12).

But the Storm made adjustments, and Johnson (5 assists, 2 steals, 3 rebounds) provided consistent scoring throughout, collecting 15 points to lead the South Elgin attack.

"I thought we played well early," said Storm coach Tim Prendergast. "I kept thinking we could extend the lead, but we weren't finishing out quarters well. Glenbard did a nice job of doubling down on us inside."

South Elgin earned its largest lead of the game following the break going on an 11-5 run to extend the lead to 39-25 before the Rams would close the third quarter out on a 9-2 run to get back to within 7.

"I felt we could've played better down the stretch," said Prendergast. "Give Glenbard credit. The wanted it, and they hustled in the end. They play a tough schedule, and they have some very nice players."

With 8 rebounds and 6 points, Elizabeth Erb helped keep the Rams alive. Ashley Farrell came off the bench to add 5 points, all during the final quarter and Jackie Foreman also scored 5 points.

For the Storm, Alexa Kruel finished with 14 points while Dijon Smith contributed with 5 rebounds, 6 points, a block and a steal. Amanda Sieverding recorded 6 points.

"Amanda came through for us late," Prendergast said. "I'm pleased with the win. I saw some great things from our girls, and as for mistakes, there is nothing we can't fix."

With the loss, Glenbard East fell to 8-16 on the season.

"They outplayed us here," said Miller of the Storm. "They executed better than we did. They played the better game."