Unstoppable Smith matches Jacobs with 34 points

ROCKTON -- "Wow" was Nika Sircher's reaction.

The guard on the St. Charles North girls basketball said it all about teammate Kelsey Smith's performance in the Class 4A Hononegah sectional semifinal game against Jacobs in Rockton.

Smith, a 6-foot-4 junior center, matched the Golden Eagles' points with 34 -- a career-high -- as she helped the North Stars beat Jacobs, 58-34, Tuesday.

"Amazing -- there's really no words," Sircher said about Smith's performance.

"We love having her on the team," guard Anna Conrad added on Smith. "It's not really about who scores for her. It's about winning."

With the win, the North Stars (22-5) continue their school-record breaking season in the sectional finals against host Hononegah Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Jacobs closed its season 17-12.

Smith dominated right from the start, as she scored the North Stars' first 8 points. She had 11 of the team's 14 first quarter points and 18 at the half, when St. Charles North led, 25-14.

Smith said she wasn't keeping a runny tally on how many points she scored. She just went with the flow of the game.

"The game just kind of goes (along)," Smith said. "Get a pass and score. It's not like, 'Oh my God, (I need to score).'"

"She did a great job," guard Kiley Hackbarth added. "Even if she didn't get the shot, she kicked the ball back out."

Smith scored her points mainly in the paint, finished 13-for-15 from the field and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line. She also grabbed 15 rebounds. As a team, Jacobs finished with 22 boards.

It also helped Smith that she was by far the tallest player on the court -- which is really something not new -- as Jacobs' tallest player was 5-foot-9.

"People barley came up to her chin," Sircher said. "So we had to play that mismatch."

"She's a terrific player," Jacobs coach Ed Haugens added on Smith. "It also helps that you can have a point guard (Hackbarth) that can deliver the ball to her. I think that combination makes it hard for any team. Usually, you have one or the other, but not both. They have a nice deal with those two."

Haugens couldn't have been more correct. A big reason why Smith had such a great game was because the guards made sure the ball was in her hands.

"We knew they were going to double-team (her) like crazy," Sircher said. "We told her, 'No matter what the pass looks like, it's coming to you.'"

"She was able to do that because she had four great players on the court with her," St. Charles North coach Katie Sauber said.

That exactly why the North Stars are the only team in the Tri-Cities Area still standing and playing for a sectional championship.