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Adamski's improvement clear to see in Glenbard West win

The improvement of Glenbard West's Niki Adamski on the basketball court is clear to see - now even to her.

The 6-foot-1 senior is playing with eye goggles for the first time.

"That's my magic power. I feel like a new player," Adamski said.

"I was pretty nervous to wear them. I can't put contacts in. They just pop out so, I was like, 'You know what? I've got to make the sacrifice and get some goggles. They've helped me a lot. I've finished more. I can see the court now, so it's great."

On Thursday the Hilltoppers also saw strides from Tuesday's season-opening loss. They used 21 unanswered points in the first quarter to set the tone for a 58-45 victory at Waubonsie Valley.

Glenbard West (1-1) trailed 5-1 and missed its first four shots before the scoring barrage that contributed to a 22-8 lead at the end of the period.

"We like to think that our defense creates our offense," Glenbard West coach Kristi Faulkner said.

"We needed that run. It was a good energy booster. We always talk about coming out with a strong start. Waubonsie Valley came out and made the first couple shots. We got our legs and energy back and we'll take those runs anytime."

Glenbard West junior Taylor Huff had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Maggie Stutelberg had 14 points, Adamski had 11 points and 8 rebounds and senior Katelyn Heller contributed 8 points. Stutelberg and Heller each had two 3-pointers.

In the Warriors' season opener sophomore Mykah Berkompas had 20 points with five 3-pointers. Sophomore Lauren McKnight had 8 points and 5 rebounds.

During their scoring run the Hilltoppers made 7 of 9 shots with 3s from Stutelberg, Heller and senior Katie O'Shea and 4 of 5 free throws over nine possessions.

The Warriors missed seven shots and had three turnovers.

"It's tough. You can't let teams do that," Waubonsie Valley coach Brett Love said. "You've got to come back and score, but at the same time you can't let them score. We didn't follow our scouting report."

The victory had extra meaning to Adamski. She and senior Jamiyah Taylor also are AAU teammates for the Illinois Evolution with Love as their coach. Each began playing for Love in eighth grade.

"I've gotten a lot of help at West, but (Love) introduced me to basketball and showed me everything. It's really cool that he got to see my improvement," Adamski said.

The Hilltoppers felt they used their inside attack better than the 65-58 loss to Rolling Meadows in a rematch of last year's regional final defeat.

Adamski and the 6-2 Huff hope to complement each other this season to create a formidable inside attack. Both also are team captains with Heller.

"I've improved sky rockets," Adamski said. "I put the time in. The confidence is there. I feel like this season is a season for me to step up as a leader."

"She's really worked in the off-season with her game," Faulkner added. "She's really taken a leadership role as a senior. There's a lot more confidence. She's one of those players that works so hard every day, every drill that we do."

Berkompas, McKnight and Ahniya Melton had all of the Warriors' first-half points. Glenbard West led 42-17 at halftime and 50-20 early in the third quarter before the Warriors chipped away.

Berkompas had three 3s in the third quarter, one during an 8-0 run that helped reduce the Hilltoppers' lead to 52-34 after three quarters.

"That's who we were last year and we're trying to improve on that and make some changes so we come out with that energy in the first half," Love said. "That's who we need to be from the jump. It's a work in progress."

Stutelberg, who had 11 points in last year's early-season 61-44 victory over Waubonsie Valley, had 11 by halftime Thursday.

"I was a freshman on varsity last year," Stutelberg said. "Our seniors leaving (three starters) were big leaders. I just felt the need to step up and I just feel more confident, too."

  Waubonsie Valley's Mykah Berkompas, top, and Glenbard West's Katie O'Shea battle for a loose ball during Thursday night's girls basketball game in Aurora. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Glenbard West's Taylor Huff (55) gets a good look at the basket past Waubonsie Valley's Keeshya Bellows during Thursday night's girls basketball game in Aurora. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Waubonsie Valley's Mykah Berkompas (30) looks to take a shot under pressure during the girls basketball Thursday against Glenbard West in Aurora. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
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