SCN goes up 22 at halftime, cruises to win
If defense wins championships, perhaps St. Charles North's girls basketball team has some big things in store for its future.
The North Stars threw a proverbial blanket over Glenbard West's offense during the first half of Tuesday night's nonconference game while building a commanding 30-8 lead.
That comfortable double-digit halftime cushion was more than enough for the North Stars (12-4), who went on to defeat the Hilltoppers 49-32 in St. Charles.
How suffocating was the North Stars' defense?
Glenbard West (9-11) was held without a point for the last 11 minutes, 24 seconds of the first half -- and misfired on all 9 of its field-goal attempts while failing to score in the second quarter.
"That feels good definitely -- defensively," said North Stars junior center Kelsey Smith, who recorded game highs of 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. "It's something that coach (Katie Sauber) kind of talked about after our last game and the last few games."
The North Stars, who trailed briefly at 4-2 and 6-4, finished the first quarter on a 9-0 tear while taking a 19-8 advantage.
While Glenbard West focused its attention on the 6-foot-4 Smith, St. Charles North guards Anna Conrad and Kiley Hackbarth made the Hilltoppers pay from the outside.
Conrad scored 8 of her 14 points in the first quarter, while Hackbarth added 7 of her 9 points during the opening period. The tandem also was a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the 3-point arc.
"We were focused on Smith in the first half and Conrad hurt us," said Hilltoppers coach Mike Hofland. "We knew she could shoot but she was hot. She did a real nice job of hitting the open jumper.
"We tried to take one thing away (inside game) and they hurt us. They did a nice job once we doubled down. And I thought they did the best job we've seen of kicking the ball out and getting the open shot."
St. Charles North eventually scored 22 unanswered points, taking its biggest lead of the night at 32-8 on Smith's putback in the opening minute of the third quarter.
"Our goal is to set the pace, set the tone right away," said Sauber, "and the girls did it well. Our transition game was great. We looked relaxed and we moved the ball well up the court."
While the Hilltoppers outscored the North Stars 24-17 over the final 14 minutes, the damage was already done.
"We've got three sophomores who are still learning," said Hofland. "We're just trying to develop our court presence. The more minutes, the better, and they finished strong -- that's what I'm happy about."
Abigail Hastings led the Hilltoppers with 10 points.