St. Charles East holds off St. Charles North
St. Charles East built a 7-point halftime lead over St. Charles North and increased it to 47-37 going to the fourth quarter, but retiring Saints coach Lori Drumtra has seen enough of these rivalry games to know no lead is safe.
Sure enough, the North Stars made a run in the final quarter. Rose Bundy was one of the unsung heroes for the Saints, making a key free throw and assisting Sara Rosenfeldt on another basket as St. Charles East held on for a 58-53 victory.
"I was pleased with our poise at the end," Drumtra said. "Everyone is making contributions. Marissa (Urso) hit some big shots. Sam (Munroe) handled the ball at the end. I thought we did a good job."
Rosenfeldt followed a 23-point game Friday night against West Aurora with 26 more. The junior made a pair of 3-pointers to force the North Stars out on her, then drove on her way to getting to the foul line 10 times, sinking eight.
"Sara had a monster game," Drumtra said. "She's hard to stop unless you foul her."
Rosenfeldt, weighing offers from Kent State, UAB, Loyola, Xavier and Florida Atlantic, said she wants to make a college choice before her junior year.
Her improved outside shooting certainly is turning heads, and it pleased her Saturday.
"I've worked on my shot a lot," she said. "That showed in that game. It's fun to be an upperclassmen so far. After I hit a few shots I could drive more and that's been a big part of my (improvement). They started out fast. Our intensity was always there and we were always working hard."
A big key to the Saints' win was a 19-6 edge in second-chance points.
Rosenfeldt had 6 of those offensive rounds. She grabbed 13 total rebounds to help the Saints win that battle, 32-28.
"She clearly wanted it more than us six separate times tonight," St. Charles North coach Mike Tomczak said. "She's a great player. She has about as high of motor of a high school player I've seen, boy or girl. She's so passionate and plays so hard. Tip of the cap to her."
The Saints tried a press for one of the first times this year. For the most part the North Stars (4-4, 0-1) handled it well, with just 7 turnovers.
They also made the Saints pay with some easy baskets, especially by Lizzy Olsem. In just her second game of the season, Olsem made 11 of 18 shots from the field for a team-high 22 points.
Anna Davern also finished in double figures for the North Stars with 13 points plus 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
"She (Olsem) is a leader for our team," Tomczak said. "Physically it was killing her not to be out there. She was finishing around the basket with regularity.
"They hae one elite post player. We have two very good post players. They kind of had to pick their poison tonight."
Freshman Jazmyn Harmon added 9 points for the North Stars despite playing just 14 minutes before fouling out. She made four of six shots.
"She does not have the luxury to be a freshman," Tomczak said. "She has been ready and raring to go from day one. Her athleticism, her speed, have always been on display but as of recently her poise is starting to show. She has grown up a lot in these first two weeks."
Urso finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists for the Saints, now 6-2, 1-0.
"They have been playing extremely well this year," Tomczak said. "Even their two losses are against two of the top-end teams in the state. They clearly have found a rhythm and have some nice players. That being said, we had a chance to win the game tonight. I thought we played well enough to win the game. As far as us moving forward, we can certainly build on that."