Bartlett survives scare from Prospect
Few games are going to be easy once you're in the winner's bracket at the Charger Classic at Dundee-Crown.
Bartlett's undefeated girls basketball team found that out in the second half Tuesday night against Prospect.
The Hawks led by as many as 12 in the first half and by 11 at halftime, but had to hang on to beat the Knights, 69-63, in the quarterfinals.
“We were inconsistent with our play,” Bartlett coach Denise Sarna said. “We found a way to win. We have to prepare for good competition. I don't know that we were fully prepared as we could have been mentally to play today.”
The Hawks (14-0) will need to be ready today when they face Fremd (13-2) in the semifinals at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Prospect (7-6) plays Hononegah (13-3) at 5 p.m. for a berth in the fifth-place game.
Bartlett used a 13-0 run in the first quarter to turn a 4-point deficit into a 9-point lead in just 2 ½ minutes. With 6-foot Sarah Hunt on the Knights' bench with two fouls, the Hawks were able to get some easy baskets to the lead.
The Hawks led 18-10 after the first quarter and extended the lead to 12, 22-10, early in the second quarter on baskets from Nicole Beck and Kristin Conniff. The lead was 15, 42-27, midway through the third quarter, but Prospect scored 16 points in the final 4 minutes of the third to get within 9, 52-43, heading to the fourth. Sarah Winans scored 7 of her game-high 19 points in the final 4 minutes of the quarter.
“I'm very proud of the way they competed in the second half,” Prospect coach Martha Kelly said. “We won the third and fourth quarter against a team that is now 14-0.”
A 6-0 run cut Prospect's deficit to 6, 59-53, with 4:27 remaining. Michele Molini's 3-pointer with 2:20 left got the Knights within 5, 63-58. A 3-pointer banked off the glass by Winans with 30 seconds left made it 67-63. Bartlett's Janessa Baker hit a pair of free throws for the final points of the game as the Hawks hung on.
“We haven't had a lot of close games this year and it was a good test to see how we would do with the pressure,” said Bartlett's Jacki Gulczynski, who finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. “They gave us a lot pressure and double teams. We need to do a better job of being patient and finding the open person.”
Conniff led the Hawks with 14 points. Christina Carlson added 13 points and 9 rebounds, helping Bartlett outrebound Prospect 33-22. Haley Videckis had 11 points.
Molini had 13 points off the bench for the Knights. Ashley Wabik hit four 3-pointers to score 12 points. Hunt, who had 2 blocks in the first minute and a half, had 9 points and 8 rebounds.