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Hersey pulls away in second half

It had been 10 years since Hersey's girls basketball team dropped a season opener.

But it didn't take long for the defending Mid-Suburban League champions to get back on the winning track.

Senior Katie McGrath scored 16 points and classmate Claire Rogowski, whose sisters Megan and Kelly were on that 2007 team, added 14 as the Huskies posted a 57-41 triumph over Barrington in Saturday's second-round game of the Bison Classic at Buffalo Grove.

"We did a much better job (than Thursday's opening loss to Grayslake Central) of controlling the basketball, hitting shots and taking advantage of mismatches," said Huskies coach Mary Fendley, who won her 406th career game in 20 seasons. "I thought Katie McGrath really made a statement in the paint, and that was nice to see."

Katie and her triplet sister Erin (6 points) both pulled down 9 rebounds.

"We did a great job helping each other out," said Katie McGrath, one of the few Huskies who saw extensive varsity time last season. "I know our main focus was No. 42 (sophomore forward Taylor Thompson) and No. 20 (junior guard Tori Meyer), and my team really helped on No. 42 because we knew she would be a strong presence inside. We all came together and played the roles we needed to."

Meyer matched her jersey number with a game-high 20 points (15 in the first half) while Thompson connected for 17 points, 13 in the second half.

"I thought Tori had a marvelous game," said Barrington coach Babbi Barreiro, a winner of 393 career games. "She worked really hard and Taylor certainly came to life in the second half."

The Huskies (1-1) came to life late in the first half.

Two free throws by Meyer got the Fillies (0-2) to within 22-19 with under a minute to play but sophomore guard Sydney Hemenway (5 points, one 3) lobbed a pass into Katie McGrath for a short shot which made it 24-19 with 24 seconds left.

After a defensive stop, junior Emily Collins (11 points) was on the back end of a fastbreak and converted the layup with three seconds left to make it 26-19 at half.

Hersey turned it into a 15-1 run, scoring 11 of the first 12 points of the third quarter. Collins had the final two baskets of that run, including a steal and layup for a 37-20 lead.

"Emily Collins was just fantastic," Fendley said. "She did a great job offensively and defensively. We held Meyer to 5 points in the second half and that was Emily's defense on her. Her defense ignited our offense. She started our transition by getting deflections and steals, and running the court. She really contributed and made a difference."

One difference when the Huskies play their next game will be the addition of senior Maesyn Benjamin, who was a key contributor last winter. Benjamin missed Saturday's game because of a college visit.

"We just have so little experience," Fendley added. "We went from having some of the best guards in the area and it's hard to replace that. I think these girls will gradually continue to improve."

Barrington gradually cut into the second-half deficit and got to within 43-37 when Shanna Turczynski hit a 16-footer from the baseline.

A fastbreak layup by Turczynski's had the Fillies trailing to 45-36 with 5:22 left in the game.

But Rogowski answered with a 3-pointer, and the Huskies maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

"We had great team chemistry and that showed," Rogowski said. "We had a lot of momentum at the end of the first half and wanted that to carry over to the second. And we did that by being very unselfish."

Barrington junior forward Alex Kelly pulled down 9 rebounds.

"I thought Alex had a real gutsy performance," Barreiro said. "Our kids just have to believe in themselves. "We stress to the kids that it takes four quarters of good basketball and we just had too many untimely turnovers. In the first half, we got totally outrebounded. We didn't box out and that is just fundamentals of the game.

"I really like our group. I feel we have a lot of kids who on any given night can contribute in some way. We're just trying to get them to understand that and settle into it."

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