Bartlett stuns Wheaton North in overtime
Bartlett senior guard Savannah Standefer prefers intense pressure situations. Big games bring out the best in her.
That was evident in Friday's showdown against Wheaton North.
In a physical and bruising game, Standefer thrived in the second half. Standefer's aggressive play on offense and defense sparked the fourth-seeded Hawks to a thrilling 78-70 overtime win over top-seeded Wheaton North in the semifinals of the 35th annual Bill Neibch Falcon Classic. It was Bartlett's 13th consecutive victory.
The Hawks play Glenbrook South at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the title game.
With the Hawks (15-2) trailing 49-45 in the fourth, Standefer scored five straight points in a two-possession sequence, while her defense on Wheaton North (14-1) star forward Nikki Baird ignited the comeback. She also had a key block in the final seconds of regulation.
Standefer collected 11 points, 6 rebounds and a key steal and block.
"We had to pull together as a team and we all were on the same mindset and believed in each other," Standefer said. "(Physical games) are what get me going and give me energy and I feed off that and prefer that."
Standefer was one of many standouts players in a contest between two teams with a combined two losses. Baird led all scorers with 29 points and 11 rebounds, but Standefer and Danielle Hedeen's aggressive on-ball defense limited the Belmont recruit to 9 points after halftime.
In the first half Baird had a dominating effort on offense and defense. She missed only two shots to finish the half with 20 points, 7 rebounds and blocked 4 shots to give the Falcons a 35-29 lead.
"I'm very proud of my girls, on their floor in a hostile environment," Bartlett coach Brad Hunt said. "This was a playoff atmosphere. We were very resilient. We battled through all the turnovers and physicality and made enough shots to win the game.
"Danielle and Savannah played great defense. Savannah is our emotional leader. She shows the passion and the girls feed off her. Both of them did a great job, and I think they frustrated (Baird)."
Bartlett sophomore guard Alexis Sinclair hit numerous big shots to end with 21 points on 7-for-18 shooting. Freshman Mackenzie Hare also scored 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Senior Teagan Noesen buried two 3s in overtime to finish with 13 points.
Wheaton North freshman guard Claire Hyde scored on a coast-to-coast lay-in with 5.6 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
"They put the ball in my hands and I was just looking to score and take what the defense gave me," Hyde said of her key basket.
But Noesen drilled two 3s in a three-possession span to give the Hawks a 72-65 lead with just under two minutes left in overtime. The Hawks made three of their four 3-point attempts in overtime, and dominated the offensive boards for second chance points in the final eight minutes.
"My teammates did a really good job finding me," Noesen said. "We were all tired, but we all knew we had to keep shooting and playing good defense would all the shots to fall."
Wheaton North shot 4 for 16 on 3s, shot 16 for 25 on free throws and was outscored 17-9 in overtime. Wheaton North coach David Eaton played four underclassmen for part of the overtime, calling the loss a chance for growth. Julia Simon added 14 points for the Falcons.
"It was a good learning experience," he said. "You have to give Bartlett credit…Their kids fought and fought. We have been in a lot of close and tight games, and not getting it done might resonate more than the ones we won down the stretch. This is a good wake-up call."