St. Edward handles Newark
St. Edward finally got tired of relinquishing leads.
The Green Wave went ahead 14-4 early in their contest against Newark on Wednesday night in the Lisle Holiday Cage Classic and later went up 29-22 on a layup from Callie Johnson late in the third quarter, but on both occasions, Newark fought back to within striking distance.
Eventually, the Green Wave put the Lady Norsemen away, going on a 15-2 run to start the fourth quarter and winning going away 44-36.
"We made a nice run in the fourth quarter," said St. Edward assistant coach Dennis Butzow, who filled in as head coach for Michelle Dawson for the second straight day as Dawson was home with her newborn son.
"We turned the defense up a bit, got some steals and were able to convert on the other end."
St. Edward (11-3) only led 29-27 to open the final quarter, but received a 3-point play from Alexandria Lee to pull ahead 32-27.
The Green Wave extended their lead once again to double digits with 2:18 left, going ahead 42-29 on a behind-the-back pass from Rena Ranallo that Johnson converted for a layup.
"We had talked about pressuring them and getting our offense going," Lee said. "We were able to work it in the post and work it around to get good open shots."
Lee led the Green Wave with 15 points, while Madeline Kerr added 10 points and Johnson finished with 8 points.
Newark proved pesky all evening, clawing its way back and a couple occasions and limiting the Green Wave from playing at their desired pace.
"We like to run and they kind of slowed us down," Butzow said. "We finally were able to get steals by trying a little half court press and by picking up our man a little tighter because we just had to get going."
Taylor Krug led Newark with 9 points.
St. Edward advances to face Joliet West at 8 p.m. Thursday in the semifinals. Joliet West knocked off Walther Lutheran 53-49 Wednesday.
"We know they're very quick and they like to penetrate so we know we're going to have to play more defense," Lee said. "It should be another good game."
Jacobs 37, Glenbard South 22: The Golden Eagles (3-11) earned their second consecutive victory as they defeated Glenbard South at the Wheaton North Bill Neibch Falcon Classic. Jennifer Barnec and Jessica Tennant each recorded double-digits with 17 and 11 points, respectively.
St. Charles East 50, Elgin 21: The Maroons (0-14) suffered another tough loss at the Wheato North Bill Neibch Falcon Classic. Jessica Ramirez (11 rebounds) and Kenyatta Scales led the Maroons with 6 points each.
Harvest Christian 39, Alden-Hebron 35: The Lions (8-3) returned to their winning ways as they defeated the tournament host in a close game. Sydney Doby (17 points) and Anneliese Herman (10 points) led the Lions with double-digit efforts.