St. Charles North starts fast, runs over Quincy

One would be hard-pressed to top the kind of start that St. Charles North's girls basketball team enjoyed Thursday night.

Racing out to a 19-0 lead after just 6 minutes of action, the North Stars (1-0) began the 2007-08 campaign on a positive note, defeating nonconference opponent Quincy 52-38 in St. Charles.

Junior guard Anna Conrad effectively shot holes in the Blue Devils' sagging zone defense early, canning her first four shots -- three of which were 3-pointers -- while jump-starting the North Stars to a 19-4 lead after one quarter.

"It was a great start and I think it helped set the tone for the game," said Conrad, who finished with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor. "Our chemistry was on right from the start."

The North Stars' pressing, in-your-face defense also paid early dividends, forcing 12 Quincy first-quarter turnovers that led to some easy baskets at the other end.

"That's one of the main things we work on -- transition and getting up and down the court," said Conrad.

Kelsey Smith, the North Stars' 6-foot, 4-inch junior center, recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds while facing double- and triple-team defensive pressure.

"I hope tonight we were able to show that if you do play a zone (defense) against us, that our guards will become a threat -- not only our inside game," said North Stars coach Katie Sauber, whose team lost just one player to graduation from its 2006-07 squad that won 23 games.

Quincy, which received a lift from reserves Shelby Wires (14 points) and Lindsey Barton (9 points), pulled within 23-17 midway through the second quarter before the North Stars went on an 11-4 run to grab a 34-21 halftime advantage.

St. Charles North put the game out of reach with a 12-2 surge in the first 7 minutes of the third quarter.

Quincy, which made the 5-½ hour trek north earlier in the day, outscored the North Stars 13-6 over the final 8 minutes.

"It's always tough in your first game because you're rusty," said Sauber. "Two-and-a-half weeks (of practice) isn't a long time. We're just going to take this as a learning experience.

"I want to watch the (game) tape because I want to see what things we were doing well and what we really need to work on."

Kiley Hackbarth added 11 points and 7 assists for the North Stars, who take on state-ranked Montini Wednesday at the Whitney Young tournament.