Streamwood breaks into win column
With the level of talent on the Streamwood girls basketball roster it was only a matter of time before the Sabres broke into the win column.
That time finally came on Wednesday night and if the second half scoring explosion in the Sabres' 47-38 win over Jacobs at Huntley is any indication there should be plenty more wins to come.
After scoring just 11 points in the first half the Sabres outscored the Golden Eagles 36-21 in the second half to erase a 6-point halftime deficit and capture their first win in five tries. It was the final game of the Dundee Crown Thanksgiving tournament.
Senior Kiana Jeremiah led the way in scoring for the Sabres with 17 points. Sophomore Jenejha Williams narrowly missed a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 blocked shots.
"We just came out much more focused on both ends in the second half," Streamwood coach George Rosner said. "Defensively we kept the ball in front us and didn't give them many open outside looks and J was wasn't allowing anything inside. Then on the offensive end we just made a lot better decisions with ball."
Jeremiah scored 15 of her points in the second half to spearhead the comeback. She tied the game at 25-25 with 3:35 left in the third quarter when she scored on a driving layup and added a free throw after being fouled on the play. After a Jacobs turnover Jeremiah followed with another driving layup with 2:48 left in the third to put the Sabres ahead 27-25.
"Tiana really took control," Rosner said. "I told her at halftime we were going to need a better second half from her and she stepped up. We wanted the ball in her hands as much as possible. She responded like a fourth-year varsity player and really came out determined."
The Sabres (1-4) outscored Jacobs 20-10 in the third quarter and led 31-27 heading into the fourth. Dejah Bland provided a big boost off the bench with a pair of baskets.
Streamwood never surrendered the lead in the fourth quarter. When Jacobs pulled to within 2 points with 1:35 left to play on a Talia Surges 3 pointer, Jeremiah answered back with a another basket on a cutter in the lane. She added another basket and a pair of clutch free throws down the stretch. She was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line in the game.
"I knew I had to pick up my game," Jeremiah said. "My strategy was to get to the basket and I drove whenever I saw an open lane. It was great to see everyone contribute and finally come together and play with confidence."
After knocking down six 3-pointers in the first half the Golden Eagles (3-3) made just 2-of-9 attempts in the second half.
"They were a team hungry for a win and we just couldn't match their intensity," Jacobs coach Joe Benoit said. "We just gave up too many opportunities."
Jennifer Barnec had 14 points to lead the Golden Eagles in scoring.