St. Charles East tops Bartlett, snaps 5-game skid
It had been a long time between victories for St. Charles East's girls basketball team.
To be exact, a total of 30 days.
The Saints (12-7) snapped a 5-game losing skid thanks to a solid all-around performance during their 69-58 Upstate Eight Conference crossover triumph over Bartlett (13-7) Thursday night in St. Charles.
Senior Kyra Washington led the way with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots while freshman Sara Rosenfeldt recorded a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Saints picked up their first victory since Dec. 23 (against Lyons at the Wheaton North tournament).
"We needed to get that off our backs - that's for sure," Saints coach Lori Drumtra said of the losing streak.
A fast start enabled the Saints to take control as Washington's 7 first-quarter points helped the home team build a 20-10 lead.
Reserve senior guard Katie Robinson capped the opening period with a 3-pointer - part of the Saints' 57 percent shooting accuracy from the floor during the first 8 minutes.
"We wanted this game and we just pushed the ball," said Rosenfeldt, who added 3 assists, 3 steals and a pair of blocked shots.
Bartlett coach Denise Sarna felt defense was the cause for concern after her team allowed a season-high point total.
"We gave up 20 points in the first quarter and kind of dug ourselves a hole that we were just battling the whole time today," said Sarna.
"We didn't start out ready to play and we didn't have the right defensive intensity. That has happened to us in games before but we've been able to recover against certain teams. This team (St. Charles East) is too offensively oriented. You can't let them get into a groove like that."
Ahead 31-24 at intermission, the Saints scored the first 8 points of the third quarter to take a 39-24 lead.
The mini-surge included back-to-back layups from Rosenfeldt, who scored all of her points in the second half.
"We weren't working as well as a team as we were in the beginning (of the season) so we fixed that at practice," said Rosenfeldt.
Senior guard Katie Claussner added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the Saints, including a pair of baskets during a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that sealed the decision.
"If we can transition, it just makes a world of difference for us," said Drumtra. "We did that against Conant scoring 66 points but we struggled defensively and sent them to the free-throw line too much."
Prior to the game, Drumtra reiterated the need for improved defense and fewer fouls.
"I put two numbers on the board - 64 and 17," said the coach. "I asked them what they think these numbers represent. My manager who keeps the stats said, 'that's the number of free throws our opponents have shot in the last two games.'
"Then I told them 17 were how many (free throws) we've shot in the last two games. Their eyes got pretty big there. The first line of defense has to be better. We still have room for improvement but it was definitely better than the last couple of games."
Kaitlin Brohan led the Hawks with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals, while Kelly Harris and Lauren Janczak added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
"We did battle back a couple times but we missed a ton of layups," said Sarna. "It has been a rough spot for us all season."