Pasquini, Arnold get Lancers on track
On the eve of the Class 4A sectional seeding meeting, Lake Park found a reason to feel good about itself again.
The Lancers bounced back from a pair of tough losses to defeat Addison Trail 77-45 Tuesday night in a nonconference girls basketball game in Addison.
The Lancers (15-6) lost an Upstate Eight Conference game to Waubonsie Valley on Friday, then fell by 22 Monday to Marist at the McDonald's Shootout.
"It was really tough," senior forward Marissa Pasquini said of the two defeats. "That kind of brought the team down a little bit, but it was good coming out here and really pounding at them and getting on the fast track again."
"We didn't play well yesterday, so it's always nice to come back and get a win and do it right instead of just win and play ugly after you come off a bad playing day," Lancers coach Lisa Smith said. "So yeah, it felt good. The thing that felt even better about it was so many kids contributed to it."
Michigan-bound Lancers junior Samantha Arnold scored 33 points and added 14 rebounds. Pasquini added 21 points and 6 rebounds.
"Sam hit her career high today, and yeah, she could have scored over 40, but that's not what we're all about," Smith said. "Marissa Pasquini scored (21) points, which she's never done before, so that's her career high, so good for her."
"We're down a couple of players and our coach said we gotta start making up the points. I just had to take over," Pasquini added. "We all tried to get double digits, get a lot of rebounds. We all did a really good job."
The Lancers built a double-digit margin early, but an Erica Spear layup at the 4:19 mark of the second quarter cut the lead to 29-20. That brought Arnold off the bench despite her 2 fouls, and it marked the beginning of the end for the Blazers (5-19).
Lynsey Ciezki countered with a 14-foot jumper and a 3-pointer, then Arnold scored a bucket, a 3, knocked down a pair of free throws, stole the ball and converted the lay-in. A Jenn Schulmeister basket ended the 14-0 Lake Park run with 1:28 left.
"We fell apart again," Blazers coach Rob Schader said. "We didn't rebound today. They had, I'd say, offensive rebounds had to be close to 30 at least. That's a good 40-50 points right there."
Schulmeister scored 15 points for the Blazers, and Jasmine Little added 12.
-- Orrin Schwarz
Glenbard South 53, Sycamore 32:ŒDespite committing 23 turnovers, Glenbard South benefited from Sycamore's bone-chilling 17 percent shooting from the floor while coasting to a 53-32 Western Sun Conference victory at Sycamore.
The Raiders (15-7, 7-4) sported a balanced offensive attack with 12 players scoring in the game, no one in double figures. Maja Despot and Alicia Engelhardt each scored 8 points from their low-post positions, taking advantage of Glenbard South's periodic emphasis to look inside.
"We focused on getting the ball inside in the second half and we did a nice job there," Raiders coach Julie Fonda said. "But our turnovers definitely prevented us from playing a complete game."
Glenbard South opened with four straight turnovers before making the game's first basket with more than two minutes gone. Its largest lead of the first half, 13 points, was reduced to 8 following its third consecutive turnover with less than a minute remaining until halftime.
"We seemed to come out with a lack of focus," said senior guard Jess Muniz, who chipped in 6 points and 7 rebounds. "I don't know if it's because we saw their record and felt they were a weaker opponent or what it was."
Sycamore (3-14, 0-8), courtesy of a 1-of-16 effort from the floor in the third quarter, watched Glenbard South build its lead to 20 points entering the fourth. The Spartans never drew closer than 18 for the rest of the game.
"We had a lot of open looks," Sycamore coach Ryan Picolotti said. "We just weren't able to convert to get on a run and make a comeback."
With their 6-of-7 sharp-shooting from the floor in the final quarter, the Raiders finished at nearly 50 percent for the game. The strong shooting effort combined with an aggressive defense that forced 20 turnovers and contributed to Sycamore's poor shooting compensated for Glenbard South's high turnover tally.
"We gave them a few too many layup opportunities, but by alternating between our man and zone defenses we kept them from doing anything from the outside," Fonda said. "That's where we didn't want them to hurt us."
-- Dave Rossdeutcher
Waubonsie Valley 55, Glenbard East 22:ŒIt was just a matter of time until the Waubonsie Valley perimeter players found 6-foot-1 center Rachel Bostick open in the low post.
That happened in the second quarter when Bostick scored 11 of her game-high 17 points as the Warriors opened a 24-15 halftime lead and went on to beat visiting Glenbard East 55-22 in a nonconference contest.
"They don't have any big girls," Bostick said. "And I knew if our players got it into me there was a good chance I could finish."
When the shot wasn't there, Bostick was able to dish it back to the perimeter where one of her teammates would be open for a shot.
A combination of zone and man-to-man defenses kept the Rams (8-13) off-balance throughout.
The victory gives the Warriors a 20-2 record, the third year in a row they've posted 20 victories and the fastest they've reached that milestone.
"A lot of these girls have been part of the team all three seasons," said coach Kris Kalivas "And that's a compliment to them."
All 10 members of the Waubonsie team scored at least 2 points and the baskets often came on pinpoint assist passes.
"They're very aware of each other's strengths and where everyone is on the floor," Kalivas said. "This is a hard-nosed group, and they have a lot of goals for the season. Every time they step out on the floor they want to win."
Brittany Upshaw, the Warriors' second-leading scorer with 9 points, said the team's style and fundamental soundness is in part due to the fact that most of them have been playing together for many years.
But she thought there was another reason for the team's cohesiveness.
"We're just nice," Upshaw said. "We're very unselfish. We like everyone to score. Everyone scored tonight and that's good."
Glenbard East was led by Kelsey Taylor, who finished 13 points.
Rams coach Nicole Miller was happy with how her team challenged the Warriors in the first half, but that the Rams' ability to execute was broken down by the Waubonsie defense later in the game.
The Warriors outscored Glenbard East 18-6 in the third period to increase the lead to 42-21 at the end of three quarters.
"They're a good, solid ballclub all the way through," Miller said "They're strong at all five positions. They mix up the defenses and always put a lot of pressure on no matter what they throw at you. They're fundamentally sound and they forced us into making a lot of mistakes. Also, we have nobody to match up with (Bostick). She's tough inside."
-- Neil Shalin
St. Edward 66, St. Francis 60:ŒSt. Edward could not have come up with a better way to close the home portion of its season.
Not only was it senior night, and all five Green Wave seniors had a hand in their team's win, but it was also a milestone evening for a standout junior.
The five Green Wave seniors combined for 38 points, and Katie Yohn scored 28, eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for her career, as the Wave downed St. Francis 66-60 in Suburban Catholic Conference action.
"I had no idea," Yohn said after the game, clutching the game ball presented to her by the coaching staff. "I kept asking my parents and they wouldn't tell me. I thought I was, like, 200 points away or something."
"Katie Yohn was just on fire," said St. Francis coach Leslie Dehn. "We guarded her pretty well, but she hit some awful tough shots."
To St. Francis' credit, the Spartans (10-13, 2-9) never gave up. They hit 10 3-pointers in the game, including 5 in the fourth quarter as they tried to claw their way back into the game. Senior Cara DiBona led St. Francis with 16 points, including four 3-pointers, while senior Christina Belniak and freshman Kelly Reinke had 12 each.
"They don't give up," Dehn said of her team. "It's been and up-and-down season, but they played this one right to the end and never gave up."
-- John Radtke
Montini 79, Marian Central 42:ŒMichala Johnson's 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks powered Montini (17-5, 9-0) in the Suburban Catholic Conference contest.
Cootie Leeberg chipped in 9 points for the Broncos, who led 38-20 at the half.
Naperville Central 51, Barrington 40:ŒEmma Ondik's 14 points led host Naperville Central (16-7) to victory in the Sweet Sixteen Tournament.
Jessica Carter and Claire Fleming each added 10 points for the Redhawks, who made 13 of 14 free throws.
Driscoll 58, Aurora Central 20:ŒTaylor Reaber drained a game-high 14 points and Kasey Reaber and Allie Divito tossed in 11 apiece for Driscoll (18-4, 8-3) in its Suburban Catholic Conference victory.
The Highlanders built a 29-12 halftime cushion en route to their fourth win in a row.
Wheaton Academy 52, Streamwood 44:ŒAlexa Sharkey's 25 points carried Wheaton Academy (13-8) in the nonconference meeting.
The Warriors enjoyed a 16-8 advantage after the first quarter.
Timothy Christian 41, Chicago Christian 34:ŒLindsay VanderBrug netted a game-high 15 points to help Timothy Christian (13-9, 5-2) get by Chicago Christian (13-11, 4-3) in the Private School League.
Shannon McNeil added 11 for the Trojans.
Benet 38, Carmel 35:ŒThe Redwings (9-15, 2-5) rallied to win the East Suburban Catholic Conference contest with a 17-9 fourth quarter.
Nikki Bell led a team-effort for the winners with 10 points. Annie Gallagher scored 9.
Hinsdale South 61, R-B 50:ŒSam Schimmel rang up a game-high 18 points to move Hinsdale South (17-6) to 2-0 in the Seasons End Tournament at Fenton.
Chloe Harris racked up 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Joanna Giampoli totaled 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets.
York 42, Proviso West 35:ŒMeryl Cripe notched 11 points to top nine York players who scored in the West Suburban Silver matchup.
The Dukes (12-10, 3-3) outscored Proviso West 28-18 in the second half.
Oak Park 68, Fenton 48:ŒTricia Chiamas made three 3-pointers and poured in a game-high 22 points for host Fenton (13-11) in the Seasons End Tournament.
Oak Park jumped ahead 15-10 in the first quarter before outscoring the Bison 34-19 in the second half.
Rosary 59, IC 35:ŒIC (8-15, 2-8) held a 13-8 lead after the first quarter before falling in Suburban Catholic Conference action.
Erin Hayes led the Knights in scoring with 11.
Boys basketball
South Elgin 60, Glenbard North 49:ŒIt was the career-high 24 points that Josh Glenn scored, the strong fourth quarter that Adam Hodge posted and the steady point guard play throughout given by Alex Sanchez.
It was also South Elgin's 24-of-27 performance from the free-throw line that had Storm coach Chaz Taft pleased with a 60-49 win over Glenbard North in a nonconference game in Carol Stream.
"We started a little slow, but then the feet woke up and the minds woke up," Taft said. "It was good … today was a great team victory for us."
South Elgin started in an 0-6 hole, courtesy of defensive pressure from Glenbard North (3-14).
The Panthers led 14-12 after a quarter, but a three-point play from Glenn gave the Storm a lead to start the second, and South Elgin (9-10) never trailed again.
South Elgin led 26-23 at halftime. The Panthers' Reid Hulett buried a long jump shot and a 3-pointer that tied the game at 28-28 in the third quarter, but the Storm answered with a 6-0 run.
The Panthers stayed within striking distance through most of the second half and cut the Storm lead to 44-42 with three minutes left to play. That's when Hodge and Glenn buried a pair of free throws each, sandwiched around Glenbard North shots that didn't fall.
"We missed a jump shot, they came down and scored, and then we had a 2-on-1 but didn't get a shot off, and they came down and scored," said Panthers coach Erin Dwyer.
"That's been the story of the fourth quarter for us, sometimes. You have to make plays."
With 1:40 left, Sanchez had a steal, an offensive rebound and an assist in a 10-second span that put the Storm up 52-42. Sanchez finished with 7 assists on the night.
Glenbard North's James Fleming hit a trey from there, and led his squad with 14 points, but the Panthers couldn't knock down enough big shots down the stretch and had to foul the Storm as the clock wound down.
Hulett scored 12 points for Glenbard North and Marko Govedarica scored 9.
-- Gary Larsen
Naperville Central 46, Hinsdale Central 39: A 10-4 third-quarter edge provided the opening Naperville Central (13-6) needed in its nonconference win in Hinsdale. The Redhawks' Drew Crawford was in foul trouble early and scored 11 points before fouling out. Danny Ondik scored a game-high 14 points and Matt Neufeld added 10. "It was a good team effort," said Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer. Hinsdale Central (11-6) was led by Abe Saleh with 12 points and Chris Chana with 11.