Defense serves Hersey against Bartlett
Hersey's shooting touch was a little off on Tuesday night at the Ken Carter Gymnasium in a nonconference game with visiting Bartlett.
"There are going to be nights where your shots just don't fall," said Hersey veteran coach Mary Fendley. "Obviously this was one of those nights."
But this was also a night where the Huskies' defense stepped into the spotlight.
And that's when things brightened up for the Huskies.
In battle between top-20 teams in the Daily Herald girls basketball rankings, No. 11 Hersey came away with a 44-30 triumph over the No. 20 Hawks in Arlington Heights.
Leading 16-15 at intermission, Hersey used a 7-0 run to start the second half and a 12-0 run to begin the final period to ensure the victory that raised its record to 6-2.
"We knew we had to come out strong in the second half," said Huskies senior Juliette Vainisi, who led a balanced attack with 12 points. "We weren't playing that well defensively in the first half. Defense was the key. That led to our offense."
Vainisi's driving bank shot, followed by free throws by Annie Korff (7 points) and Claire Gritt (9 points) and a 16-footer by Vainisi gave Hersey a 22-15 lead less than two minutes in the third quarter.
But the Hawks (5-3), who came into the game with four straight wins, battled back to within 28-26 by the end of the quarter.
A 3-pointer by Kaitlin Bohan (game-high 14 points) helped spark a 6-2 run to close out the period.
"Kaitlin had a great game," said Bartlett coach Denise Sarna of the 5-foot-9 junior guard. "She worked real hard."
But the Huskies made it hard for Bartlett to get any closer by not allowing a fourth-quarter point until junior Kelly Harris hit an inside bucket with 1:15 left to cut Hersey's lead to 40-26.
Beginning with 6:56 left in the game, Hersey scored 8 points in less than 75 seconds to take control.
Vainisi had a layup on an assist from Korff during the rally that included 2 free throws by Gritt, a rebound layup by Gritt and a layup by Gina Miklasz (6 points) off a steal and assist from Korff.
Hersey then added a 10-foot baseline shot from Gritt and a 8-footer by Maggie Berigan (10 points) to complete a 12-0 run in less than four minutes.
"It was a 2-point game and then in matter of two minutes they went on that run," Sarna said.
Harris had 7 points for Bartlett while 5-9 freshman teammate Kayla Hare added 6.
"I thought Kelly had a nice matchup inside (with Berigan)," Sarna said. "And Shelley Lyjak (junior) did a nice job defensively. Kayla (Hare) can put points on the board. That's why we are giving her a look."
Sarna is looking for some more offense.
"We pride ourselves on defense," she said. "But we are looking for some players to step up and make plays on offense. We've got to get a few more points on the board."
Berigan was tough on the boards for Hersey, grabbing 12 rebounds while Gritt had 9. Sophomore guard Kelly Weyhrich handed out 4 assists for the Huskies while Korff, Miklasz and Berigan each had 3 steals.
"I was disappointed in our first-half defense but we brought more intensity in the second half and I was happy with that," Fendley said.
"After playing three undefeated teams (Buffalo Grove, Fremd and Prospect) in a row, I don't know if it was a little harder to get up for this game. But we knew how tough Bartlett was going to be."
Sarna knew all about Hersey as well.
"We knew we were up against a good opponent," she said. "We did a lot of good things but we have a lot of work to do, too.
"I love this team. These kids bust their tails. Sometimes we've just got to believe in ourselves on the offensive end. That's basically what it comes down to."