Bartlett disposes of Addison Trail
Drama free.
That’s about the easiest way to describe Bartlett’s 61-42 win over Addison Trail in the semifinals of the Class 4A Glenbard North girls basketball regional Wednesday night in Carol Stream.
“We came out with good intensity and played good defense,” said Bartlett coach Denise Sarna. “That set the tone.”
The Hawks pressured Addison Trail into 10 first-quarter turnovers in running out to a 21-7 lead, which they extended to 37-15 by halftime.
No. 3 Bartlett (27-1) will take on Rolling Meadows (18-11) at 7:30 p.m. Friday for the regional championship and a spot in next week’s York sectional. Meadows beat Glenbard North 44-31 in Wednesday’s second semifinal.
“We came out strong on the defensive end tonight and kept them to minimal points,” said Bartlett senior Jacki Gulczynski, who had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocked shots.
“That’s what we really wanted to focus on and we were able to build off of that.”
Junior Kristin Conniff returned to action for the Hawks after missing the last 2 weeks with an ankle injury. She came off the bench midway through the second quarter, immediately hit her first shot and ended up leading Bartlett with 12 points, including two 3-pointers.
“It was good to see Kristin back,” Sarna said. “We wanted to give her a few minutes tonight and she didn’t waste any time getting back into things.
“It was a good team effort with a lot of balance tonight.”
Junior Haley Videckis added 11 points for the Hawks, who shot 26 of 64 from the floor and outrebounded the Blazers 41-27. Senior Christina Carlson had 11 rebounds for Bartlett and added 7 points.
Bartlett’s biggest lead with 27, 53-26, after a Taylor Buliox basket early in the fourth quarter.
Senior Jazmin Little led Addison Trail with 14 points. Junior Marissa Pezzopane added 11 points and 8 rebounds.
“This has been a special group,” said Addison Trail coach Rob Schader, pointing specifically to Little and fellow seniors Kayla Foster, Jamie Smolinski and MeShaundra McDonald.
“It’s my fifth year here and my first year we won two games. We got better and better and it’s because of those (seniors).”
Schader knew Wednesday’s task was a tough one.
“You can’t complain about tonight,” he said. “(Bartlett’s) a good basketball team. They beat us on the boards and they don’t miss a lot of shots.”