Rolling Meadows gets past Glenbard West
The calendar didn't matter Monday in Rolling Meadows.
It may have been the first game of the season for the girls basketball teams from Glenbard West and Rolling Meadows, but the teams played as if it was the end of the season.
The two teams, who met last season in the regional finals, also looked like they were both invited to the annual 3-point shooting contest. The teams combined for 67 3-point attempts as Rolling Meadows outlasted Glenbard West 65-58.
"Is that how many were taken?" Rolling Meadows coach Ryan Kirkorsky asked. "We definitely put a lot up. We played them twice last year and they shot more than they did. In the first half, everyone was on fire."
The teams were red hot in the first period combining for 20 3-pointers and converting 9 of them as they played to a 19-19 tie. They slowed down a bit for the remainder of the contest with Meadows shooting 13-of-37 from outside the arc and Glenbard West converting 9-of-30.
"It is just kids that we know are skilled kids," said Kirkorsky, who had eight different players convert a 3-point basket.
"We want to play at a fast pace. The reality is that there are going to be some open shots and credit to our people they hit some open shots."
The teams continued to play at a blistering pace in the second period. Meadows led 29-28 midway through the period when the Mustangs went on 6-0 run to open up a 35-28 lead. Susannah Holifield, who is a junior, scored 4 of those points, all from some inside play.
"My team was all boxing out with me," said Holifield, who had 11 points for the game. "They were all doing the dirty work with me. It was so much fun to be out here tonight."
Meadows led 40-35 at the break. Glenbard West was able to close to within 43-39 halfway through the third quarter on a pair of free throws by Katelyn Heller. But that was as close the Hilltoppers would get.
With Glenbard West in a zone, Meadows was comfortable enough to slow the play down and wait for the Hilltoppers to attack. When they did, the smaller, but quicker Mustangs, slid the ball around the perimeter until they found an opening.
"We worked together really well," said Alexa Davis, who led the Mustangs with 15 points and hit 4 3-pointers.
"We talked on offense and defense. I think we worked really well as a unit."
Moira Hickey, who is a freshman, scored 11 points in her first start, knocking down 3 3-pointers in the process. Lily Greifenstein added 8 points and Samantha Elena chipped in 7 points for the Mustangs.
Maggie Stutelberg had 15 points thanks to 5 3-pointers for Glenbard West. Katie O'Shea also had 15 points knocking down 4 treys. Heller finished with 13 points and Taylor Huff had 7 points for the Hilltoppers.
"We saw some good things out there tonight," Glenbard West coach Kristi Faulkner said. "There are also a lot of things we need to work on. It is the first game of the season after just two weeks of practice."