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Rosencrants steps up for St. Charles North

St. Charles North’s Morgan Rosencrants is accustomed to playing alongside junior teammate Nichole Davidson.

When Davidson was called for her second foul with 2:07 left in the opening quarter and subsequently sat out the entire second quarter, Rosencrants picked up the pieces and stepped up her game.

The 6-foot-1 sophomore forward scored 10 first-half points as the North Stars grabbed a 24-17 lead over Streamwood at the intermission.

Rosencrants finished with a team-high 18 points and 13 rebounds to lift the North Stars (9-10, 3-3) to a 44-36 Upstate Eight Conference River Division girls basketball victory over Streamwood (7-10, 2-4) Friday night in Streamwood.

“It’s definitely a different game without her in it,” Rosencrants said of Davidson, who contributed 8 points and 7 rebounds in just 19 minutes of playing time. “She does a lot for our offense — and defense, too. I felt like there was more pressure but I had to keep my head in the game.”

Rosencrants added 8 third-quarter points as the North Stars’ lead swelled to as many as 15 points at 36-21.

“It was one of her best games of the year,” North Stars coach Sean Masoncup said of Rosencrants. “I thought it was her best effort both mentally and physically.”

St. Charles North’s 12-5 third-quarter run also included offensive-rebound baskets from Ashling Davern (9 points, 6 rebounds) and Davidson.

“I credit the girls for coming out strong in the second half,” said Masoncup. “That has been our biggest improvement from the start of the year.”

Streamwood made things interesting down the stretch, as senior forward Hannah McGlone almost single-handedly willed the Sabres back in the game.

The Winona State-bound McGlone scored her team’s first 10 points of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 38-32 with 4:53 remaining.

The Sabres’ next trip down the court was a brief one, as North Stars sophomore guard Kyla Helsel (4 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals) stole the ball and heaved a long pass to Davern, who converted the layup to extend their lead to 40-32 midway through the final period.

“I thought Kyla Helsel played a phenomenal game,” said Masoncup. “She had a migraine all day long and didn’t come out of the game.”

Relying on full-court pressure defense, the North Stars forced the Sabres into 14 first-quarter turnovers on the way to a 14-5 lead.

They also managed to get McGlone in early foul trouble as she taken out after drawing her second foul with 4:11 left in the first quarter.

“We attacked her and that was the game plan,” said Masoncup. “We had to go at her, get her into foul trouble and get her on the bench.”

McGlone paced the Sabres with 19 points and 9 rebounds.

“She’s probably one of the toughest players I’ve had to guard,” said Rosencrants, who made all 8 of her free-throw attempts.

Kiana Jeremiah and Jenejha Williams added 5 points apiece for the Sabres, who were 0-for-10 from 3-point range.

“We didn’t make enough shots and we didn’t make enough free throws,” said Streamwood coach George Rosner. “We were 12-for-25 at the free-throw line, and we gave up a couple easy baskets in crunch time which was disappointing because we worked so hard to come back.

“You can’t lose your focus — whether it’s at the free-throw line or on defense.”

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