Girls basketball: Schilb’s big second half leads St. Charles East over Glenbard West for sectional title

Brooklyn Schilb was anything but satisfied with how her first half went in Thursday’s Class 4A Bartlett sectional final.

The sophomore, who’s been a driving force for St. Charles East all season long, finished with only two points to her name. She was 0-for-6 on shots, and found herself with three fouls to her name.

And after giving up the lead to Glenbard West for the first time early in the third quarter, she knew it was time to go.

“We had a chance to do something really special, and I knew my team needed me,” Schilb said. “I knew they needed me in the first half and I didn’t do my job, so I just wanted to come out with the same mindset and stick with my team.”

And once she started, she could not be stopped.

Schilb went on to put up 30 points over the final two frames, helping the third-seeded Saints get overpower the top-seeded Hilltoppers with a 53-28 victory for their first sectional title since 2021.

“She’s just so special,” Saints coach Katie Claussner said. “She’s a magnet for the ball and then she just manages to put it in the basket with whatever shots she takes. It is absolutely fantastic to watch.”

The Saints (22-11) will go on to face Loyola in the Hoffman Estates supersectional on Monday.

“It’s just the sweetest feeling ever,” Claussner said. “They ended our season last year, and it was really tough because we had such a great team and we just got outplayed. And our returning girls did not want to feel that way again.”

The two teams played close in the first half, with neither side fully figuring out the other’s defensive scheme leading to the Saints holding just a 16-14 lead into halftime.

The low-scoring affair was one that Schilb remembered from the sectional semifinal on their home court a season ago, where they fell 35-32 in overtime.

“We knew what it felt like last year when they beat us, so we knew that was another level of intensity for what we needed to do,” Schilb said. “We did not want to feel that way again. We just wanted to stick to the game plan and win the game.”

The Hilltoppers (28-5), who were looking to win consecutive sectional titles for the first time in program history, came out of the gate in the second half with the first two makes from the floor to give them an 18-16 lead. But a 3-pointer from Schilb catapulted the Saints to a 17-1 run over the final six minutes for a 33-19 lead by the end of the third quarter.

“I think all year our defense has helped dictate our offense,” Glenbard West coach Kristi Faulkner said. “They made a run in the second half and we just had some trouble getting things to fall on our end. It’s something that happens in a game sometimes.”

While Schilb’s offensive onslaught was a big portion of the success, Claussner said she was more proud of the defensive effort, especially from girls like sophomore Kathlyn Bainbridge, who had five steals and seven rebounds to go with 10 points and six assists on the night.

“The first time that we played them (a 56-41 loss on Jan. 27), we really locked in on our transition defense and that gave them a lot of momentum,” Bainbridge said. “This time, we focused on stopping their outside shot as well as their passes inside to the paint.”

Junior Ellie Noble led the way for the Hilltoppers with nine points and six rebounds, with Nina Hendricksen added eight points. While not making it as far as the season before, Faulkner is confident that the loss will motivate Glenbard West, which is planning to return all but two seniors next season.

“They’ll remember this, and it’s good motivation heading into the offseason,” Faulkner said. “It’s great motivation heading into next season. It’s not always what happens, but it’s about what happens next.”