Slow start costs Dundee-Crown

If only Dundee-Crown girls basketball coach Sarah Teipel could erase the first quarter.

Trailing Boylan Catholic 15-4 after 8 minutes, the Chargers played the Titans on even terms the final 3 quarters. It wasn't enough.

With both teams scoring 32 points during the final 24 minutes, Boylan's first quarter onslaught was enough to produce a 47-36 victory over the pesky Chargers in third round action of the Dundee-Crown girls basketball Thanksgiving tournament in Carpentersville Saturday afternoon.

"We didn't come out with a sense of urgency from the tip," said Teipel. "We rushed things and strayed from the game plan. We played fearful. We made some second half adjustments and executed and played hard, more physical and tougher."

With sophomore center Lily Esparza scoring 6 points in the paint and Avery Marcomb 4, the Titans led by 11 after a quarter.

The Chargers (1-2) started mounting a valiant comeback in the second quarter. With Marrasia Harthrone burying a pair of 3-pointers, D-C outscored Boylan 10-7 in the second quarter.

The Chargers sliced the Titans' lead to 22-14 at intermission.

Whittling away methodically, the Chargers got within 37-32 with 2:44 left on a 3-pointer from Thea Mercado. The Chargers couldn't get any closer.

The Titans sealed the victory by making 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final 90 seconds.

Olivia Harter, who scored 14 points, connected on 4-of-4 from the charity stripe while Maggie Schmidt was 3-of-4 as the Titans pulled away.

Esparza paced the winners with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists. Schmidt added 9 with 3 assists.

D-C plagued by 19 turnovers, 8 in the first quarter, were led by Harthorne with 11 including 3 treys before fouling out with 21.4 seconds left in the game.

Kendall Brents added 10 while Mercado scored 9 - 7 in the fourth quarter.

"It is a learning process," said Teipel. "We need to work together and put a four-quarter game together."