Bartlett overcomes slow start, wins regional crown

It wasn't exactly the start Bartlett girls basketball coach Brad Hunt envisioned.

After watching his team fall behind Wheaton North 12-3 in the first 3-plus minutes, Hunt called a timeout in order to regroup.

The Hawks then went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 12-12 after the opening quarter.

"I think that made the girls realize, 'It's OK, we belong - we're supposed to be here,'" said Hunt, "and then it was just a dogfight."

The finish nearly worked to perfection as the 3rd-seeded Hawks (28-4) outscored the Falcons 42-33 in the second half during their 61-51 Class 4A regional championship triumph in Bartlett.

"We finished the deal at the end," said Hunt, whose team will face 2-time defending 4A state champion Geneva (20-11) in Monday's 7:30 p.m. Batavia sectional semifinals. "We made free throws (12 of 16 in the 4th quarter) - which has been something we've struggled with. It was great to see."

Sophomore guard Lexie Sinclair paced the Hawks with 20 points, hitting her last 5 field-goal attempts, including a 3-pointer that put the Hawks in front for good at 30-27 with 3:17 left in the third quarter.

"Tough players make tough shots - I play by that motto," said Sinclair, who added 3 assists and 3 steals. "When I see an opening, I'm going after it."

"I can't tell you how special Lexie is," said Hunt. "She put us on her back and that number 1 (the Falcons' Julia Simon) is an elite defender."

The Hawks also received big-time performances from Teagan Noesen (12 points) and Justina Hernandez (12 points, 6 rebounds).

Noesen, the team's lone senior starter, canned four 3-pointers, including back-to-back long-distance shots after the Hawks fell behind 23-19 early in the third quarter.

"Oh, my goodness, those were huge 3s," said Hunt. "It was awesome for her."

"My teammates did a really good job of finding me," said Noesen. "We caught the momentum and kept rolling."

Hernandez, a sophomore, scored 10 fourth-quarter points, including 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.

"Justina played a great game," said Hunt.

The 5th-seeded Falcons (19-7) were led by their lone senior starter, Nikki Baird, who tallied 19 of her game-high 22 points in the second half.

"What an unbelievable career she had," said Falcons coach David Eaton of the Belmont recruit. "She came up as a freshman and was a starter for all four years and played fantastic."

Freshman Claire Hyde finished with 11 points and sophomore Simon added 10 points, 5 rebounds and a pair of steals for Wheaton North.

"We're proud of our kids for how hard they played," added Eaton. "They (the Hawks) earned that win tonight. They made plays. The last time we played (Bartlett won 78-70 in OT on Dec. 28), we were up four with 50 seconds left and turned it over.

"They played great and deserved to win tonight. They hit big shots across the board."

Freshman Mackenzie Hare added 9 points for the Hawks.

"No one (Bartlett team) has ever lost a regional on our home court (now 5-0 since 2004) so it's nice to keep it going," said Sinclair.