Dundee-Crown tops rival Jacobs
Play-in games for any type of team can be a pressure-cooker.
Try it on for size when you bring in a District 300 rivalry into mix.
Jacobs sought its third win against rival Dundee-Crown this season Monday night at the Class 4A Streamwood girls basketball regional and for the first 8 minutes, leading by as many as 9 while making 4 of its first 5 shots, the Golden Eagles looked as if they were on their way to completing that feat.
But D-C flipped a switch and Jacobs went ice cold. The Chargers outscored the Golden Eagles 57-35 from the second quarter on in a 61-45 victory over Jacobs, as Emilie Michalski's 17 points and 13 rebounds helped advance the Chargers (4-23) to play top-seeded Streamwood (19-8) tonight at 6 p.m.
“We told them four quarters,” said Chargers coach Michelle Russell, whose team shot 23 of 46 from the field after the first quarter. “We haven't put four quarters together all year and I think they did a pretty good job, except for that first quarter, and they finished strong. We really pushed that.
“It's tough. Jacobs beat us twice this year. It's tough to beat a team three times. I think my girls came with a little more intensity than they had in the first couple games.”
Jacobs (3-23) raced out to a 10-1 advantage after Payton Berg nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing and Allison Berndt hit her first 3 shots in the game's first 6 minutes.
But an offensive rebound putback by Michalski with 2:37 left in the quarter began a major trend, as D-C grabbed 26 offensive rebounds and outrebounded Jacobs 39-26.
Dundee-Crown hauled 5 offensive boards in the second quarter and coupled with Michalski's 6 points, the teams went into the half tied at 19. The Chargers opened the second half with a 3-point play by Michalski on an offensive rebound and pushed the lead to 9 with 47 seconds left in the third, outscoring Jacobs 23-14 while shooting 9 for 17.
“I used to be kind of a afraid to drive and I started to have more confidence and started driving a lot,” said Michalski, who was praised by Jacobs coach Joe Benoit.
“D-C really brought the energy despite the fact we kind of threw the first punch tonight,” said Benoit, whose team shot 18 of 45. “You give a team second opportunities in February, you go home on night one.”
Jordan Bartlet scored 13 points and Jillian Weichmann added 12 for the Chargers. Berg led Jacobs with 15 points and 3 rebounds.