Sibley, St. Charles North slam the door on Mother McAuley
Having seen a lead slip away and turn into a painful loss earlier this season, St. Charles North senior Dana Sibley made sure it wouldn't happen again Saturday morning at the 27th annual Charger Classic at Dundee-Crown.
Sibley calmly sank both ends of a 1-and-1 twice in the final 54 seconds, giving the North Stars the cushion they needed in a 55-48 victory over Mother McAuley.
Three weeks ago, St. Charles North lost a double-digit lead to fall in overtime in their Upstate Eight Conference opener against Streamwood.
"I think that's all part of playing the game," said the St. Xavier-bound Sibley. "With experience you get better at playing with confidence when the game gets tight. That was the biggest thing. In the fourth quarter we started blocking out a lot better and got some big defensive boards."
St. Charles North (9-4) lost to McAuley (7-6) at this tournament in last year's third-place game. The North Stars can assure themselves of another top-four finish with a win in their next game, 3:30 p.m. Monday against Prospect.
North Stars coach Colleen Brennan used just six players Saturday and they all took turns in the spotlight. Kiley Hackbarth led the way with 15 points and 5 assists followed by Tess Fischer's 14 points including four 3-pointers.
Fischer's first 3-pointer gave the North Stars a 3-0 lead, Sydney Russell followed with another 3 and Hackbarth knocked down an 18-footer - the start of a hot-shooting three quarters that saw the North Stars hit seven 3-pointers and build a 14-point lead.
"We knew after those first few shots it was going to be a good day," Brennan said. "We were shooting well today, working together and finding the open person. We swung the ball a little better. Even if we don't make it we put the ball in play."
After six lead changes in the first half, the North Stars went to the locker room up 29-22 with an 8-0 surge to end the second quarter. St. Charles North extended the lead to 36-22 and 45-32 in the third quarter before McAuley charged back.
The Mighty Macs pulled with a basket twice in the fourth quarter. The first time Hackbarth answered with one of her 5 assists to a wide open Fischer underneath the basket. The next time - up 50-48 with a minute to go - Sibley grabbed a defensive rebound, then made the first of her game-sealing four free throws.
"I was trying not to think about it because in the Rosary game I think thought about it too much," Sibley said of a missed free throw earlier this year in a game she scored the winning basket.
"I was just trying to relax and be confident with my shot. That's what I have to do every time I get on the line."
The North Stars survived Jen Bell's foul trouble that forced their senior forward to the bench most of the second half. Her counterpart in the post Sibley helped ease that problem with 10 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots, which followed a 17-point, 11-rebound effort in her previous game against Maine West.
"Her last two games have been huge," Brennan said. "Blocking out, defensively, she's got such a nice soft touch for a post. She's a great basketball player. She's a huge part of our team."
Molly Stasaitis led McAuley with 10 points. Reserves Tatiana Ingram and Margaret Wildner combined for 14 points and 19 rebounds.
"We didn't play with much intensity the first half," Mighty Macs coach Karen Ade said. "You can't play catch up. They are a good team. They play very well together, they looked for each other."