Crystal Lake South nips Cary-Grove

Crystal Lake South’s defensive game plan on Cary-Grove senior standout Olivia Jakubicek was to deny her the ball and stop her from scoring at will.

The Gators got more than they bargained for.

Switching up defenses effectively, the Gators held Jakubicek to 1 field goal and 5 points before she fouled out with 58 seconds left.

South’s swarming and stifling defense keyed a 45-43 Fox Valley Conference Valley Division win over the Trojans Friday night at Gator Alley. It’s South’s first win over the three-time defending Valley champs since Feb. 7, 2009.

“We wanted to slow (Jakubicek) down and I think we frustrated her,” said South coach Kyle McCaughn. “It is hard to simulate her skills in practice. It was great team defense by everybody. We played hard and were able to scratch out a win. We needed everybody to win this game.”

Jakubicek, who was 1-of-10 from the field and in foul trouble all night, didn’t score a field goal until 3:22 remained in the game.

The Cary-Grove senior needed 10 points to reach the 1,000 point milestone, but is now 5 short of the mark. The Trojans host Buffalo Grove on Tuesday.

“It was a very frustrating night for Olivia,” said Cary-Grove coach Rod Saffert. “She draws a lot of attention from defenses and South frustrated her.”

Even with Olivia Jakubicek on the bench for much of the third quarter, the Trojans (5-4, 1-1) appeared in good shape when Abby Jakubicek dropped in a 5-footer in the lane with 1:36 left in the third quarter to give the visitors a 5-point, 31-26 advantage.

But the Gators, who won their fourth straight, methodically whittled away at the Trojan advantage and took the lead for good, 41-40, on 2 free throws by Rachel Rasmussen with 1:53 left.

Freshman Chantel Fanter sealed the win for the Gators by making 3-of-4 shots from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds.

Sara Mickow paced the Gators (6-3, 1-0) with 13 points and 14 rebounds, 9 off the offensive glass.

“It was an extremely physical game, but we expected that,” said Mickow. “We played great defense and frustrated them at times. This is a great win.”

Mickow was followed in scoring by Chanel Fanter with 11 points and Carly Nolan scored 10.

Joslyn Nicholson, headed to Olivet Nazarene University, scored 12 points with 8 rebounds for the Trojans while Abby Glaysher netted 11.

The Trojans made only 18-of-55 shots from the field for 32 percent and made only 1-of-10 from 3-point range.