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Gieske powers Dundee-Crown past Crystal Lake Central

Struggling through the early portions of the 2016-2017 season, coach Sarah Miller is looking for anyone to step up and lead the Dundee-Crown girls basketball team to victory.

Paige Gieseke provided that leadership Tuesday night.

Filling the stat sheet with 20 points including two 3-pointers, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals and 3 blocked shots, Gieseke keyed the Chargers to a 58-48 win over Crystal Lake Central in a Fox Valley Conference game in Crystal Lake.

“We have certainly have had an up and down season,” said Gieseke. “It has been frustrating. I looked for my shot and I hit some early which helped my confidence. We played with a lot of fire and this was an amazing win. This is the confidence boost we needed.”

Gieseke also excelled on the defensive end especially in the second half.

Central's Madison Haslow, who scored 14 points in the first half was held to 2 free throws in the second half.

“We talked at halftime that we had to stop 24 (Haslow),” said Miller. “Paige raised her hand and said she would guard her. Paige did a great job at both ends of the court, She is very athletic and a captain on the floor. She played a great game and gave us the leadership we were looking for.”

The Chargers (3-6, 2-3) seemed to have control of the game in the first half, holding a 26-11 lead with 4:46 before intermission after a long 3-pointer from the left corner by Payton Schmidt.

The Tigers battled back and ended the half with a 16-6 run including a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Megan Wozniak to pull within 5 of the Chargers, 32-27.

Central tied the game early in the fourth quarter at 40 on a trey from Jane Johnsey.

The host Tigers could never regain the lead as Dundee-Crown seized control of the game with a pivotal 9-0 run.

With Gieseke burying a pair of 3s, the Chargers led 49-40 with 2:46 left in the game.

Madilyn Tripp backed Gieseke with 10 points connecting on 5-of-6 shots from the field. Tripp also collected 8 rebounds. Allison Michalski added 8 points with 9 boards for the winners.

“We kept it simple,” said Miller. “It really wasn't about x's and o's. We talked about outworking Central and playing with a lot of heart and desire. Tonight, we came together as a team and came out with a big win. “

Keely Hamill added 12 points for the Tigers.

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