Kellys sweet in Schaumburg win
The name Kelly provided some sweet offense for Schaumburg’s girls basketball team on Tuesday night.
It was a sweet 16 points for senior Kelly Skorczewski and junior Amanda Kelly, and an even sweeter victory for the Saxons, who posted a 48-33 decision over visiting Palatine.
The Saxons (11-11, 5-2) remained two games behind Fremd (18-4, 7-0) in the Mid-Suburban West while Palatine (13-9, 4-3) is tied for third with Barrington (12-12, 4-3).
Schaumburg escaped with a 1-point win when the two teams met a little more than two weeks ago in Palatine.
“We told the girls we were playing for a little revenge after that tough loss the first time,” said Palatine coach Leslie Schock. “But we just weren’t there mentally. It’s the time of the season where teams are getting better, but we did not. And Schaumburg played great.”
Skorczewski was great, registering her career high with buckets in every quarter.
She took her cues from junior guards Kelly and Riley Williams, who combined for 6 assists.
“Instead of forcing things, we just worked through our offense real well,” said Skorczewski, who took back-to-back passes from Williams for layups in the final quarter which gave Schaumburg a 42-29 lead with three minutes left.
“After our close loss to Barrington last week (53-50) we wanted to step up and execute as a team,” said Skorczewski, a 5-foot-11 forward.
“It was an outstanding team effort,” said Schaumburg coach Ashley Berggren. “From Riley playing tremendous defense on Nia Pappas (4 points) to Kelly (Skorczewski) having one of her best offensive games.”
Skorczewski scored 6 of her points during the Saxons’ 14-5 run to start the game. Alyssa Saklak (6 points) came up with a nifty steal and then assisted on one of Skorczewski’s layups.
Saklak’s 8-footer near the baseline gave Schaumburg a 16-7 lead but Palatine rallied back to within 18-16 thanks to a 3-pointer by McKenzie Wiedemann, 2 free throws by Katelyn Mayer and jumper by Laura Schweikert.
Schaumburg led 23-20 at the break and then scored the first 9 points of the second half to take control.
Jenna Gerber (8 points) capped the run with a short bank shot for a 32-20 lead.
“The girls did a nice job playing within the offense,” Berggren said. “They were making good decisions with the ball.”
“It was our second-to-last home game so we wanted to make it a special night for our seniors,” Kelly said. “We played as a team. It’s not just one person.”
The person for Palatine enjoying a solid game was Mayer, who finished with 16 points, converting 4-of-6 free throws.
“Katelyn played her heart and soul out,” Schock said. “To go out against that team and score the way she did, and to get rebounds the way she did, I couldn’t ask for more.”