Bartlett finishes tied for 3rd in Upstate Eight

There's one way to put your worst game of the season in the rear view mirror - come back with a big win.

That's what the Bartlett girls basketball team did Friday night, rolling to a 73-45 win over Elgin in an Upstate Eight Conference game at Chesbrough Field House.

The win not only sends the Hawks (16-10, 7-3) into next week's Class 4A York regional with some momentum, but also erases the memory of their worst loss of the season, a 49-31 setback at St. Charles North on Wednesday.

"That was so atypical of the season," said Bartlett coach Denise Sarna of the SCN loss. "We just told the kids that even college and pro teams lay an egg now and then and come back strong. We came back strong tonight."

The Hawks, who finished the UEC season tied for third with Waubonsie Valley, were ahead 23-17 when Elgin senior Ellen Holton had to go to the bench with her third foul with 3:28 left in the first half. From there, Bartlett went on a 12-1 run to take a 35-17 lead into the break. They then scored the first 13 points of the third quarter to put the game out of reach of the Maroons (6-18, 3-7).

While the Hawks had a productive offensive night, their defense was even more impressive. By contesting every Elgin shot, Bartlett held the Maroons without a field goal for 12 minutes and 2 seconds during the second and third quarters.

"We have a hard time playing 32 minutes of basketball and it's been that way all season," said Elgin coach Angie Hudson, whose team plays Dundee-Crown Tuesday in the play-in game of the Class 4A Crystal Lake South regional.

"We got into some foul trouble and we didn't do a real good job of playing transition defense. Bartlett played well; they're a good team."

Sophomore Jacki Gulczynski led the way for Bartlett with 16 points and 12 rebounds and senior Alexa Tovella came off the bench to score 12 points. Freshman Christina Carlson gave the Hawks a boost as well with 8 points and 8 rebounds.

"We got a lot of contributions from a lot of people tonight," said Sarna. "Christina Carlson came in and provided a spark and brought some energy to the floor that everyone else fed off of."

Holton and fellow senior Caris Alan each scored 16 points for Elgin in their final game at Chesbrough Field House. Elgin's other senior, guard Kayla Jackson, played a steady floor game for the Maroons.