Jacobs reaches semifinals
The Jacobs girls basketball team is on a roll.
A major roll.
After finishing second last weekend to perennial power Rockford Boylan at the Harlem Christmas tournament, the Golden Eagles have spent the last two days turning some heads at the Bill Neibch Falcon Classic at Wheaton North.
On Monday, the unseeded Eagles took down No. 6 seed St. Charles East. Then, on Tuesday, Jacobs (12-3) advanced to Friday's semifinals by upsetting No. 3 seed Glenbrook South 54-48.
"The girls have been stepping up to the challenge," said Jacobs coach Ed Haugens, whose team will face once-beaten Waubonsie Valley, the No. 2 seed, in Friday's 6 p.m. semifinal. "I'm impressed with the way the girls are playing. We haven't been playing Mickey Mouse teams either."
Haugens says he's seeing a close-knit group coming together more every day.
"Chemistry is huge right now," he said. "These kids are just so unselfish. Hey, Glenbrook South is a phenomenal program. Winning this game is a huge step forward for our program."
Maria Tamburrino led all scorers with 22 points for the Eagles in Tuesday's win. Keri Bultman was next in line with 14 points, while Hailey Cnota finished with 9 points.
Girls Basketball
At Oswego East: The Royals (2-10) finished 1-3 at the Oswego East Tournament. Larkin defeated Plainfield East 55-32 in the final game with Jessica Harris scoring 15 points to lead the way. Nadiyah Spencer (11 points) also contributed while teammates Gina Leach and Tatiana Holbert each collected 9 points...With an all-around team effort on offense, South Elgin (10-5) easily defeated host Oswego East 52-28. Becca Smith led the Storm with 13 points. Sarah Havemann (8 points), Alysaa Krause (6 points), Genevieve Johnson (6 points), and Cortney Kumerow (6 points) also helped push the Storm to victory.
At Mundelein Lady Mustangs Holiday Classic: Knotted at 54-54 after regulation, Streamwood (3-8) fell to Glenbrook North in overtime by a score of 60-56. Emma Schmidt had a big day for the Sabres scoring 16 points, while Arielle Gallione added 13 points in a losing effort. Caitlin Marchant finished with 11 assists... Cary-Grove (11-2) got off to a dominant start and never looked back as it beat Waukegan 61-47. Leading offensive efforts for the Trojans were Claire Jakubicek with 20 points, Meg Straumann (11 points) and Liz Bart (14 points)...Host Mundelein defeated Huntley (6-6) 54-34 despite the efforts of Kadie Lowery, scoring a team-high 14 points. Megan Martinez (5 points) performed well for the Red Raiders as well.
At Wheaton North: Willowbrook defeated Elgin (3-8) 37-23 during tournament action at Wheaton North. Ellen Holton led the Maroons, scoring 8 points. Brandi Hernandez and Caris Alan scored 6 points apiece.