Dundee-Crown 58, Woodstock 48
This is the Robyn Staudenmaier Dundee-Crown girls basketball coach Joe Komaromy is accustomed to seeing -- when she is healthy.
Unfortunately for Komaromy and the Chargers, Staudenmaier hasn't been 100 percent healthy for much of the last two seasons.
Staudenmaier scored 22 points Friday night to help Dundee-Crown to a 58-48 victory over Woodstock in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division play in Carpentersville.
"She's starting to come into her own," Komaromy said. "She's shooting well and playing with a lot of confidence.
"I believe, after the way she played tonight, she's back."
Staudenmaier has suffered two major knee injuries and wears a hefty black brace for protection. She's moving around the court better and finding her shooting touch. The senior shot 8-for-13, including 4-for-5 from behind the 3-point line.
Nineteen of her team-high 22 points came in the final three quarters.
She also grabbed 7 rebounds and had 4 blocks.
"Tonight was the night all my shots fell," Staudenmaier said. "I didn't hesitate and was thinking about the ball going in the basket and nothing else."
Early on the Chargers (10-10, 3-1) got the ball inside to 6-foot senior Kate Pilson, who had at least a 3-inch height advantage on any Woodstock defender. Pilson scored D-C's first 9 points as the Chargers led 9-4 midway through the first quarter. Woodstock finished the quarter on a 14-3 run and took an 18-12 lead into the second.
The Blue Streaks (13-7, 0-3) increased their lead to 9, 25-16, with 4:45 remaining in the half. Woodstock's Mollie Whiting scored 10 of her game-high 23 points in the first 12 minutes.
"We were pushing the ball," Blue Streaks coach Marty Hammond said. "We were moving the ball quickly and making sharp passes. We were spotting up and looking for their shot. In the second half, we went back to standing around and watching what was going on."
D-C scored 12 of the half's final 14 points and took a 28-27 lead into halftime with Staudenmaier scoring 7 points in the final 3:10 of the second quarter.
With the game tied 36-36 with 2½ minutes remaining in the third quarter Staudenmaier and Pilson, who finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, teammed up to go on an 8-0 run in less than a minute as D-C took a 44-36 lead. The lead never fell below six the rest of the way.
"We're starting to click more and know where each other are at on the floor," Staudenmaier said. "Since it's conference play we know that every game counts. We can't afford to lose anymore."