Schilb sparks St. Charles East into final at Montini
St. Charles East’s Addie Schilb probably would do just fine if she were in the starting lineup.
But Saints coach Katie Claussner has mainly used Schilb off the bench and the role seems to suit her. You could even say Schilb is thriving, right?
“I would say, yes,” Schilb said. “I’m pretty much almost like an energy boost off the bench. I give our team energy on defense and offense.”
Schilb did exactly that at the Montini Christmas Classic semifinals on Thursday. The 5-foot-6 sophomore sat on the bench for the first 11 minutes before Claussner sent her into the fray.
The effect was immediate and stark – almost like dumping a load of piranha into a bowl of goldfish.
Schilb played fantastic defense and provided a spark on offense as the Saints quickly turned a four-point deficit into an eight-point lead en route to a 53-39 victory over York. She finished with a team-high 14 points to go with five rebounds and two assists.
St. Charles East (12-4) will play Montini (11-4), which defeated Benet 59-52, in the championship game at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
York (10-5) had designs on playing for the title and Hannah Meyers got the Dukes off to a good start, hitting 5-of-6 shots, including a trio of 3-pointers, in the early going to give her team a 16-12 lead.
After Sydney Aslesen sank a baseline jumper to cut the gap to 16-14, Schilb checked in with a mandate to stop Meyers.
“(Meyers) is a great player,” Claussner said. “We switched it up in the second quarter, putting Addie on her, and Addie played great.
“We told Addie to stick on her like glue and it worked out for us.”
Indeed, Meyers finished with a game-high 16 points, but 13 of those came before Schilb came in. Afterward, Meyers got only four shots off, making one.
“We went in knowing they had a few good players that could shoot,” Schilb said. “And my role was going to be stopping those people.”
Schilb’s defensive effort was contagious, as the Dukes (10-5) went ice cold. They missed 8 of their last 32 shots and went 3 for 13 from the free-throw line.
“We started off shooting the ball well, had good energy,” York coach Brandon Collings said. “That’s a really good defensive team and we didn’t knock down some shots.
“I think we had some and-1s roll out, missed a bunch of free throws, and they shot very well.”
Schilb had a part in that, too, and she didn’t waste any time. She immediately took a pass from Sydney Axelsen and sank the go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Saints up 17-16, then scored on a drive off a Lexi DiOrio pass on the ensuing possession.
Schilb later split a pair of free throws to cap a 13-1 run to make it 25-17. The Saints never trailed again.
“We just really started passing the ball around, sharing the ball,” Schilb said. “We started to get less offensive turnovers and more defensive stops, so I think that was really good.”
The Saints extended the lead to as many as 11 points before the Dukes pulled within 33-30 on Meyers’ final basket, a 3-pointer with 2:57 left in the third quarter. Following a St. Charles East timeout, Schilb responded by scoring on a baseline drive.
York freshman Avery Larma sank a 3-pointer to make it 35-33, but Schilb added a 3-pointer and a runner to close out the quarter and bump the lead back up to 42-35. York never got closer than 6 after that.
DiOrio finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Carmen Aguilera added nine points and Corinne Reed seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Saints. But it is Schilb who is proving to be a linchpin off the bench.
“Especially this week, she’s been a really fun player to watch,” Claussner said. “She’s been developing this whole season and I think this week it’s starting to really show.
“She attacks the basket; her defense is amazing. She’s giving 110 percent every single time she’s out there. You know that’s what you’re getting from her.”
Now the Saints get a chance to win a prestigious tournament title against a Montini team that beat them 55-45 only three days ago.
“We were coming off a losing streak but I think we’re getting our energy back, getting some wins and getting more confidence,” Schilb said. “We’re hoping to get some revenge tomorrow. We’re excited.”