Hackbarth shoots St. Charles North to 5th straight win

There was no way for St. Charles North players to put a positive spin on the fact that Lake Park bolted to a 14-3 lead and put the North Stars on their heels Friday night.

North Star point guard Kiley Hackbarth didn't mince words.

"We just couldn't get anything going the first half of the game," Hackbarth said. "We made some adjustments and we finally started making some shots that weren't falling earlier in the game."

It was Hackbarth's long-range shooting and aggressive drives to the basket that wiped out the early worries, allowing her to tally a game-high 17 points and lead host St. Charles North to a key 49-45 Upstate Eight victory over the Lancers.

The North Stars (17-7, 6-3) have won five straight games, including handing St. Charles East its first conference loss last week, marking a trend that coach Colleen Brennan has been waiting to see.

"We hadn't been able to win more than three in a row, and we are trying to find some more consistency," Brennan said. "Our girls are excited and they are playing well right now."

It didn't appear like St. Charles North would be feeling good about its chances in the conference or the upcoming postseason after Lake Park (12-11, 4-3) coasted to a 14-5 lead after one quarter.

The Lancers used balance scoring, with all five starters getting in the scoring column, to hold a 25-21 halftime lead, even though the North Stars were showing it could hit the 3-point shot as Hackbarth, Sydney Russell and Dana Sibley each scored from beyond the arc.

"Our girls fought hard all game, and I am really proud of them," Lake Park coach Chris Fruehling said. "They got hot from behind the arc and shot lights out, so you have to give St. Charles North credit."

It was the 3-point shot that the North Stars used to their advantage, hitting seven in the game to only two for Lake Park. Hackbarth led the way with three of those, including a key one midway through the final quarter that put St. Charles North ahead for good at 41-40.

The Lancers were as cold in the fourth quarter as they were hot in the first, missing the first nine shots they took in the final frame.

Jenna Bell (13 points) powered inside for a basket and corralled an offensive rebound moments later, then hit Hackbarth with a pass to set up an easy jump shot and a 45-40 lead.

Lake Park clawed back when Tori Clark (team-high 11 points) sank a free throw, Cary Wilert (9 points) converted a steal and layup, and Sarah Drozdowski (9 points) made a free throw to trim the lead to 45-44.

Bell, who had made a key turnover to set up the Drozdowski free throw, made amends with two clutch free throws with 34 seconds left.

"We were a little bit frantic at the end," Bell said of her turnover. "There was a lot of pressure on those free throws, but we do a lot of those in practice and it helped tonight."

When Clark made only one of two free throws with 17 seconds left, Hackbarth sealed the game with two more at the charity stripe.

"Kiley Hackbarth obviously had an outstanding game," Brennan said. "She was creating things for other people, and they were hitting some big shots and pulling defenders out to loosen things up.

"Our defensive rebounding was a key," Brennan said. "It was much improved."

The North Stars pulled down 27 rebounds in the game, with Sibley nabbing a game-high 10. But Lake Park actually had an edge on the glass with 32 rebounds.