St. Charles North's Davidson reaches 1,000 points
Nichole Davidson made sure she got a personal milestone out of the way early Tuesday night.
Davidson became the second player in St. Charles North girls basketball history to score 1,000 career points during the North Stars' convincing 74-43 nonconference victory over Hoffman Estates in St. Charles.
The 5-11 senior forward joined former North Stars standout Kelsey Smith in the 4-digit club when she connected on a 3-pointer from the wing off a feed from Kyla Helsel at the 6:13 mark of the first quarter.
At that point, officials stopped play and North Stars public address announcer Michael Smith made fans aware of the historical moment as Davidson received high-fives from her teammates and coaches.
"It means a lot," said Davidson, who now has 1,011 career points after her 13-point, 12-rebound performance. "We're not saying it's a 'just-me' award, it's a team award.
"It's really exciting. I really wanted to accomplish this goal and I'm glad I did it in three years."
Davidson also added a team-high 5 assists, 2 steals and a pair of blocked shots as the North Stars (12-7) won for the fifth time in 6 games.
"She had a huge game," North Stars coach Sean Masoncup said of Davidson. "I'm proud of her. She's a very unselfish girl who works extremely hard."
St. Charles North put the game away early, jumping out to a commanding 24-4 first-quarter lead.
Junior forward Morgan Rosencrants tallied 8 of her 16 points in the opening period while junior center Claire Jakaitis added 6 first-quarter points.
"We started out quick," said Masoncup.
Electing to call off his team's swarming full-court pressure defense, the North Stars struggled somewhat during the middle 2 quarters where they committed 14 turnovers and outscored the Hawks (4-15) 32-30.
"We like to run and play full-court pressure," said Masoncup. "Once we get out of that, sometimes we get into that little lull. It's tough playing a Tuesday night game after two huge games last weekend (against Geneva and St. Charles East).
"It will be nice to have a couple days off here to get our bodies recovered."
Jakaitis contributed 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Helsel added 9 points and 4 assists, and Sami Sample and Sam Novak scored 6 points apiece.
"We're taking steps up," said Masoncup, whose team plays its next 5 games on the road.
Hoffman Estates, which battled within 46-34 late in the third quarter before St. Charles North seized control with a 9-0 run, was led by Mary Saitta (11 points), Tayler Williams (9 points) and Jenny Nailor (7 points, 7 steals).
"We competed, we worked hard and we got back in the basketball game," said Hawks coach Mike Koester. "We're really starting to catch on and we're playing much better basketball now."
The night, however, belonged to Davidson and the North Stars.
"I'm glad I did it here," said Davidson. "It was a special night with my family and friends here."
"I think she's a kid who has been overlooked by the colleges," said Masoncup. "She definitely is one of those diamonds in the rough. Whoever gets her - DI, DII - is going to be very lucky."