Whitney Young handles Glenbard West
Glenbard West's quest to reach the championship game of its inaugural Grow the Game Tournament hit a big speed bump on Friday night.
City powerhouse Whitney Young overwhelmed the Hilltoppers with a deep cadre of talented and speedy guards in a 65-46 rout in a semifinal girls basketball game. The Hilltoppers (9-5) face Norcross (Georgia) in Saturday's 4:15 p.m. third-place game.
After pulling out a 52-51 victory over Trinity on Thursday, the Hilltoppers struggled with turnovers and missed numerous shots in the paint against the Dolphins. Kayla Green scored a game-high 22 points for the Dolphins (11-1).
"The biggest thing for us was taking care of the ball," Glenbard West coach Kristi Faulkner said. "Whitney Young is a really good team, and we have to learn from this. We tried to make a run or two but had a hard time cutting that deficit down. We'll learn from this and get better throughout the season."
Six-foot-2 Taylor Huff, by far the strongest and tallest player on the court, finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds. But despite a decided size advantage over the Dolphins, Huff had numerous shots roll in and out and missed some close shots as the Dolphins double-teamed her on several first-half possessions.
"We knew this was going to be a tough game," Huff said. "We have to do a better job of boxing out and take care of the ball. We had a ton of turnovers and have to work on our confidence. Some shots didn't fall for me tonight. I rushed some of my shots and will take this game and learn from it."
Maggie Stutelberg, who had 21 points Thursday, had another solid game with 9 points. She scored 6 points in a row, including a strong drive from the wing for a left-handed lay-in, during one of the best segments for the Hilltoppers, to chop the deficit to 19-16 early in the second quarter.
Huff scored two baskets in a row midway through the third, but every time the Hilltoppers had a run, the Dolphins answered with a bigger surge to pull away. Glenbard West junior guard Renee Seaney was a bright spot in the loss, scoring all 8 of her points in the fourth quarter.
"Renee did a nice job at the end," Faulkner said.