Big rally by St. Joseph stuns Hersey

It was a battle of undefeated girls basketball teams when St. Joseph of South Bend, Ind., and Hersey met at Saturday's Fremd Invite in Palatine.

Hersey looked like an undefeated team in the first half, while St. Joseph looked like the unbeaten club in the second half.

The Huskies built a 28-13 lead late in the first half but St. Joseph found a new gear in third and fourth quarters to rally for a 64-44 triumph.

Including the final 5 points of the first half, the Indians (7-0) closed out the game on a 51-16 run, including a 15-0 run in which they took the lead for good with 1:40 left in the third quarter.

That's when a 17-footer from Valparaiso-bound senior Nicole Konieczny gave the Indians a 37-35 lead.

"I don't know if I've ever been part of that big of a swing from one half to another," said Huskies 19-year veteran coach Mary Fendley. "Our rebounding was so good in the first half. It made up for shooting, which wasn't so good. In the second half, we weren't hitting our shots and we weren't getting as many."

Senior point guard Kelly Weyhrich led the Huskies (7-1) with 15 points, including three 3-pointers in the first half.

Hersey senior Gina Miklasz, who scored the first baskets of each half with drives to the basket, finished with 14 points and a team-high 5 steals. Teammate Claire Gritt added 8 points.

Despite her 5-foot-4 height, Weyhrich led Hersey with 6 rebounds as the Huskies were once again the smaller of the two teams.

"Despite the height disadvantage, we've showed we can play with solid teams," Fendley added. "That's why we signed up for this tournament. We want to play good teams."

The Indians are ranked third in Indiana's Class 3A (second largest of four classes).

Abby O'Connor, a 5-foot-11 senior being recruited by Division I programs, led St. Joseph with 16 points (14 in the second half).

She was followed by 5-foot-10 freshman Keegan Sullivan (14 points), Konieczny (13) and Mount St. Mary's (Maryland)-bound Daly Sullivan (9 points).

"There was kind of a lid on the basket in the first half," said Indians coach Sydney Smallbone, who along with all her assistants played basketball at St. Joseph. "But the big thing was our dense in the second half. We were able to get a lot of stops to shut them down offensively. And we were more patient on offense."