Addison Trail red hot to start season

Addison Trail girls basketball ran its record to a perfect 5-0 Wednesday night with a 47-27 home win over Fenton.

The victory earned the Blazers a first-place finish in the season opening Fenton/Addison Trail Thanksgiving Tournament in Addison.

According to Blazers senior forward Jamie Smolinski, this is the first time in years the Blazers are off to a 5-0 start.

Smolinski, JoAnn DiNatale and Marissa Pezzopane combined for 27 points and found easy baskets in the lane to stymie any Fenton comeback attempt throughout the game.

“We were able to get position and go up strong,” Smolinski said. “I'm a strong person, but I had to make sure I shot the ball soft and didnt go up too strong.”

Fenton (2-2) opened the game shooting well as senior Lindsay Speiden hit three straight 3-pointers in the first quarter. The Blazers weathered the barrage of Fenton long-range shooting by staying patient on offense and sticking with a zone on defense.

“We got some help on the wings in the 2-3 zone and stuck with that for the most part,” said Blazers coach Rob Schader.

Fenton's impressive shooting in the first quarter failed to carry over into the rest of the game. Addison Trail led 27-15 at halftime.

The third quarter was another strong showing by the three-headed attack of Smolinski, DiNatale and Pezzopane for the Blazers.

Addison Trail sophomore Kelsey Horvath came off the bench to drain two open shots and provided the Blazers with strong, reliable minutes throughout the game.

“Our younger girls are really helping a lot off the bench,” Smolinski said. “Our bench has been really stepping up.”

Blazers reserves Sara Tomasello and Angie Bernal also contributed to the winning effort with a combined 5 points off the bench.

“It was a great overall team effort,” Schader said.

Addison Trail will rest over the Thanksgiving break and then put its unbeaten record on the line when it resumes play Tuesday night against Downers Grove South. Tuesday's home game against the Mustangs will mark the opening night of West Suburban Gold play for the Blazers.

“We're beating up on some teams, but we're going to have to play much better defensively and rebound in order to continue to win during conference,” Schader said.