Fresh faces continue to help Palatine

Palatine came into Tuesday's Mid-Suburban League triangular at Rolling Meadows not quite at full strength, with sophomore Marissa Mallon out with an injury

But Palatine recovered from a slow start to piece together a victory with 135.10 points to outlast Hersey (132.40) and Rolling Meadows (125.65).

Palatine had a few falls on the floor to start things out, but the Pirates rebounded nicely with freshman Nicole Kuksuk taking first on vault (9.2), freshman Abby Alden adding a first on bars (9.15), and junior Nicole Barba ending the night by taking first on beam (9.05).

"We put a couple new kids in and it's nice to have them step up," said Palatine coach Terry Theobold of the Pirates' performance. "That's what we needed."

Palatine was clinging to a 101.6-100.35 advantage over Hersey after three rotations, but the Pirates finished with a solid beam performance (33.50) to secure the victory.

Last week Palatine hit a season-best 141.3, but with Mallon out the Pirates' score dipped a bit.

Now Palatine is looking for a bit of consistency from it young team.

"We're a young team, so a lot of us are not use to this pressure," said Barba who only competed in two events after suffering a left ankle injury last week. "But I think we'll get more consistent the more we work and when we get through these injuries. We definitely have a lot of potential."

Hersey also showed it has potential. The Huskies had a rough beginning with a few falls on the beam before finishing strong.

Junior Katie Dewar took first in the all-around (34.35) for the Huskies, taking second on the beam (8.7) and third on the bars (8.7) and floor (8.8).

Senior Katelyn Reszotko tied Rolling Meadows sophomore Lauren Cerza for second in the all around (34.15).

Reszotko tied teammate Haley Scott for first on the floor (9.0) and took second on the bars (9.0).

"We wanted to win," added Reszotko of the Huskies' solid finish. "I think we rose to the challenge on the bars. We all hit our routines, and that's all you can ask for."

Scott added a second-place finish on vault (9.15) for the Huskies and is looking solid after coming back from an elbow injury.

"Her elbow is getting so much better," said Hersey coach Jacqueline Parat of the senior who only participated in three events. "After winter break we'll have her back on the bars and that will make our team that much stronger."

Cerza led Rolling Meadows by taking third on vault (9.0) and floor (8.8).

"We got beat up on bars," added Rolling Meadows coach Michael Costa. "But when we get our bar skills up, our bar scores will go up and our overall team score will go up. We're moving in the right direction."