Jacobs advances past Glenbard South at Wheaton North

Given her choice of brackets, it's a pretty easy decision for Jacobs senior Katy Cook.

"We've been on both the winning and losing side of the bracket before," Cook said after her Eagles began play at the Bill Neibch Falcon Holiday Tournament at Wheaton North with a 46-41 victory over Glenbard South. "This is a tough tournament with a lot of good teams. It's easier once you get on the winning side."

They could breathe a sigh of relief Saturday afternoon, though getting to the championship bracket wasn't so easy for the seventh-seeded Eagles (9-2). Trailing at halftime by 2 points, they started the third quarter with a 13-4 run to take the lead for good. Glenbard South (7-4) kept a close leash on the Eagles, though, never letting them get out of reach.

"Glenbard South, they're no slouch," Jacobs coach Ed Haugens said. "They're a nice team. They have nice players and they caused us some problems."

"Our intensity at the beginning of the third quarter really helped us finish the game," Cook said. "We still had some turnovers at the end, and that's something we need to work on. They were a tough team, but we just had to finish with what we had."

The Raiders were frustrated at giving up the lead at all.

"I can't tell you that there's anything physically that we did wrong today. It's all here," Glenbard South coach Julie Fonda said, pointing to her head. "It was all mental. It was all that we don't, in that situation, see blood and go for it, that type of thing. But it's a mentality and hopefully we'll get through it."

Jacobs got past the Raiders with a pair of hot hands in Maria Tamburrino and Hailey Cnota. They combined for five 3-pointers and 32 of their team's 46 points.

"We're always looking for them because they're our two best scorers that we're always looking for on the outside," said Cook, who added 4 points and 7 rebounds. "Usually one is hotter than the other, and that's who we look for more, but today they were both making some but also missing some, so we had to get on the boards and rebound."

The Eagles will meet No. 2 Elk Grove in the championship bracket at 4:30 p.m. Monday. The Raiders take on Willowbrook at 9 a.m. Monday on the consolation side.