Dundee-Crown battles past Streamwood

Dundee-Crown shot 26 percent from the field, 20 percent from 3-point range and committed 22 turnovers.

That is usually not a recipe for victory.

But the Chargers won their first girls basketball game of the season with defense.

Holding Streamwood to 12 second half points and 4 field goals, D-C was able to overcome a subpar offensive effort to defeat the Sabres 42-36 at the Dundee-Crown Thanksgiving Tournament Saturday in Carpentersville.

The Charger defense put the clamps on Streamwood junior standout Jenejha Williams in the second half. Williams, who scored 13 points in the first half, was held to a basket and 2 free throws in the second half for 4 points.

Williams finished the contest with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots.

"(Williams) is a really good player and was really hurting us offensively in the first half," said D-C coach Sarah Miller. "We wanted to make it tougher for her to score and we did a good job in the second half. Overall our defense was much better in the second half and we were much more physical."

Tied with Streamwood (0-3) at 28 midway through the third quarter, D-C (1-3) ripped off 6 straight points to end the quarter with a 34-28 lead. Allison Michalski had a pair of baskets and Maddie Tripp made 2-of-2 from the free throw line as the Chargers took a 6-point advantage into the fourth quarter of play.

The Chargers' biggest lead of the night was 10, 40-30, after a floating layup in the lane from Melissa Barker with 2:39 remaining in the contest.

Barker (3 3-pointers and a 4-point play) and Michalski scored 28 of the Chargers' 42 points, with each netting 14 apiece.

Michalski also grabbed 11 rebounds, 7 on the offense end with 3 assists and 2 blocked shots.

"It was really nice to get the win," said Michalski. "Coach really emphasized defense at halftime and we came out more determined in the second half."

For the Sabres, Madeline Exline followed Williams with 10 points, connecting on 5-of-7 shots from the floor.

"There isn't a team we play on our schedule we can beat scoring 12 points in a half," said Streamwood coach George Rosner. "It was a very winnable game and unforced turnovers really hurt us."