Petzold, Glenbard North ready for basketball season
Glenbard North senior Sarah Petzold is known primarily as a softball player.
On Tuesday the fourth-year, three-sport athlete proved to be quite a hit in the girls basketball team's season opener.
Petzold scored 10 of her 13 points in a tight fourth quarter to help the Panthers defeat Willowbrook 41-38 in Carol Stream. The game was tied at 23 entering the final period.
"I don't like to consider myself totally a softball player or totally a basketball player. I just like to be an athlete, just play hard," said Petzold, who will play NCAA Division I softball for University at Albany (N.Y).
"I haven't touched a basketball in a while. Before tryouts the last time I touched a basketball was last season, so it's been a while."
Petzold provided the late heroics after junior Jen Deegan scored 14 of her team-high 15 points in the first half. Junior Josie Zabran had 15 points for the Warriors.
Willowbrook took a 24-23 lead with 7:08 left, but Petzold initiated a 9-0 run by the Panthers to lead for good.
Petzold hit two free throws and completed a three-point play, followed by two free throws from Zakiya Newsome and an outside basket by Lisa Lubben.
"I just saw an opening in one of those plays and drove to the basket," Petzold said of her three-point play. "Tied at that point (after three quarters), I feel like our adrenaline picked up. We all wanted the win. It's nice to start the season with a 'W.' "
Both teams endured stretches of first-game struggles. Willowbrook had a four-point first quarter, and Glenbard North a two-point third quarter.
The Panthers led 21-13 at the half, but the Warriors scored the first eight points of the third quarter to make it a ballgame.
"(Petzold) had a great fourth quarter. She picked up right where she left off the end of last year. She was my regional MVP," Glenbard North coach John Chamberlain said.
"Maybe there were some bonehead plays down the stretch, but with new kids coming in and new schemes and a lot of it just flying past them, you walk out of here with a win and you're happy, and you go on to the next day."
The free-throw line proved to be the difference. Willowbrook had nearly twice as many field goals and one 3-pointer, but the Panthers made 25 of 33 free throws compared to 7 of 11 by the Warriors.
"Was that ugly? That was ugly. It was people tugging on each other, and really it was free throws that won the game," Willowbrook coach Terry Harrell said.
"For some ungodly reason, we couldn't either keep our hands or keep our bodies off of them. And we laid some bricks. When you don't shoot well and the other team can at least make free throws, you're in trouble. You hate to lose, but if we're going to lose, you might as well lose it like that so you can learn something early."
Deegan made 9 of 12 free throws, including two at the start of the game for a scorebook technical foul. Petzold made 7 of 11.
"That's one thing I'm pretty confident in," Deegan said.
In last year's opener Deegan had a team-high 14 points, but Willowbrook won 63-43 en route to a 23-5 season and an undefeated run through the West Suburban Gold.
"In the past we always play (Willowbrook) first and they've always beaten us. It was nice to have a win so we know we can compete with top teams," Deegan said.