Gerber, O'Connell come up big for Schaumburg against Conant
Schaumburg girls basketball coach Curtis Goodwin is happy he can rely on experienced players such as Laura O'Connell and Mallory Gerber.
"Mallory and Laura both have a great feel for the game," said Goodwin. "They controlled the game tonight and were able to make adjustments on the fly."
Gerber and O'Connell, each standing 5 feet 11, made their presence felt in a big way Friday as the visiting Saxons defeated Conant 46-26 in Mid-Suburban East play at Perry gymnasium.
Gerber scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, while O'Connell had a line of 10 points and 5 boards.
Regina D'Orazio pitched in with 6 points for Schaumburg, while Abigail Paolicchi had 5 rebounds in the fourth quarter.
"We attacked and played hard," said Gerber, "and we got to all the 50/50 balls. We communicated well and helped out on 'D,' which was our plan from the beginning."
Michelle Benson led the way for the host Cougars with 9 points on 3 3-pointers.
"It was a little nerve-wracking out there," said Benson. "We were playing good help defense, and even though they (Schaumburg) had some size on us, I feel like we were doing a good job on them. In the second half after we got down we kind of hung our heads, but we did our best."
Schaumburg shot its way into an early 6-0 lead, but Conant fought back behind Benson and Jorie Wachal, who had 3 points and 4 steals in the first quarter.
The Saxons held a 10-point advantage at the break. Then two quick 3s in the third quarter from Wachal and Amanda Klingsporn got the Cougars right back in the game.
But Conant wouldn't score again until five minutes remained in the fourth quarter, and Schaumburg ripped off 17 consecutive points to take control of the game.
A late free throw from Saxons guard Jessica Cleator accounted for the final 20-point margin.
"It's different out there," said Conant senior Karli Heneghan of playing without classmate Nireet Dhillon, an all area player who recently went down with a season-ending injury.
"Nireet may be out," said Heneghan, "but she still helps lead us. She gives us her input at halftime and after the game."
Heneghan finished with 6 points for the Cougars, as did Wachal.
"We came out tonight and tried to be actors, not reactors," added Heneghan. "That's what our coach (Deirdre Naughton) always tells us, to take the game to them and not let them come to us. We wanted to limit their 3s, and for the most part we did that."
Schaumburg was 3-for-10 from the 3-point line, while Conant finished 5-for-21.
"I think the key tonight was rebounding," said Heneghan. "If we had been able to limit their second-chance shots, it would have made a big difference."