Bartlett's set for postseason
Every game they've gone into, sans the one loss to Fenwick, the Bartlett girls basketball team has played this season with a growing target on its back.
But in all 26 of those games, the Hawks haven't allowed one opposing team to hit the Bull's Eye.
And now the real fun begins.
Ranked No. 3 in the Daily Herald Top 20 and No. 5 in Class 4A by the Associated Press, the Hawks open pursuit of their second trip to an IHSA state final tournament on Wednesday when they play in the Class 4A Glenbard North regional.
They take a 26-1 record into the postseason, the only blemish a 65-47 lesson handed to them by Fenwick in the title game of the Dundee-Crown Christmas tournament. The same Fenwick that could stand in Bartlett's sectional path for the second straight season. The Friars, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, are the top seed in the York sectional complex, Bartlett No. 2. Fenwick eliminated Bartlett from last year's postseason in the sectional finals.
But Fenwick isn't even on the Hawks' compass right now.
"You know, people say it all the time and it is cliche, but we truly are going take it one game at a time," said Hawks coach Denise Sarna, whose team as won 11 straight since that Christmas-time loss, and put up a season-high 90 points against South Elgin Friday night.
"It's good to be in the position we're in. We're not going to say we don't like it. The idea of a full season is to prepare for the postseason and we feel we're ready."
The foundation of the Hawks' success this season has been an equal opportunity offense coupled with a stifling defense. The maturation of a junior point guard has helped things, and the depth Bartlett has on the bench is something most coaches only dream about.
"Our top 7-8 kids are all capable of scoring in double figures," Sarna said. "But the best part is that they're all willing to sacrifice their points to put the team on top. This team shares the ball really well and I love that."
The leader remains 6-foot-1 senior Jacki Gulczynski. The Wisconsin signee and last season's Daily Herald All-Area captain, is clearly the floor leader and the emotional leader of this team and she's one of the state's best at both. Her numbers aren't as gawdy this year as they were a season ago, but that just lends to the equality that has enveloped the Hawks this season.
Gulczynski does average 14.3 points per game, she's the area's leading free throw shooter (80 percent), she has 33 3-pointers and she pulls down 7 rebounds per game. And she says the Hawks are ready for the real season to get under way.
"We've got a lot of energy going and I'd say we're ready," she said after the Hawks' 90-55 win over South Elgin Friday night. "We've been working all season for this and this performance (Friday) shows how hard we've worked to get to this point."
Looking at Bartlett's stat sheet has to be a scary experience for any opposing coach. Not because of the flashy numbers but because of the incredible balance.
In addition to Gulczynski, opponents also have to defend 6-1 senior Christina Carlson (San Jose State, 6.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg), 6-0 junior forward Haley Videckis (10.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 35 3-pointers) and ever-improving junior point guard Janessa Baker (6.3 ppg, 3.2 assists). Sarna is hoping 6-0 junior Kristin Conniff (10.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg) will be back from an ankle injury next week. If not, 5-8 senior Nicole Beck (4.4 ppg) will continue to start.
Off the bench, there's more than adequate support in 6-0 junior Lisa Palmer (5.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg), 5-9 senior Taylor Buliox (3.2 ppg), 5-8 junior Nicole Gobbo and 5-10 junior Katie Gutzwiller. As a team the Hawks average 67 points per game and they allow only 44. Other than Fenwick, only five teams have come within 10 points of the Hawks this season.
And now the time every high school basketball player works for is here the postseason.
"Many people would look at the season as coming to a close," says Videckis. "But to us it's just the beginning."
Which will likely mean the end for several teams standing in the Hawks' path.