It’s not as if third-ranked Resurrection didn’t give No. 6 Fremd a chance to win the non-conference battle that took place Thursday night in Palatine.
By late in the fourth quarter, though, Julie Johnson had seen enough.
Her basket off a nifty pass from Erin Stafford with 1 1/2 minutes remaining gave the Bandits (6-0) a five-point lead they never relinquished en route to a 57-53 victory.
With Fremd coach Carol Plodzien yelling for her team to foul with just over a minute to
play, Johnson eluded the Viking defense and got the ball underneath to Stafford, who put the game on ice with a layup.
“We had a lot of respect for Fremd, but we knew we needed someone to step up in the end,” said Resurrection’s Tara Babich, who, along with Johnson, finished with 14 points. Beth Gawlinski led the Bandits with 16.
Fremd’s Daryl Schaffeld, who canned a meaningless three-pointer as time expired, led all scorers with 19 points.
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Elgin 82, Waubonsie Valley 47: It was supposed to be a history-making night as No. 2 Elgin closed in on a state record 50 straight home victories. But some late research by coach Lee Turek showed that a win over Waubonsie Valley would be only No. 49. No matter. With the record still at stake, the host Maroons (7-0, 4-0) took no chances, winning convincingly in the Upstate Eight.
After a slow start, Elgin went on a 17-0 first-quarter spurt and never trailed again. Melissa Parker scored seven of her 21 points during the run. She also had 11 rebounds and six assists. Leslie Schock (14 points, 10 rebounds), Karisa Turek (11 points) and Suzy Smith (10 points) rounded out the leaders.
“We missed a lot of layups early but I could see the girls were focused,” said Turek. “And when we got our defense going we knew we had the game.”
Marshall tournament: No. 4 Marshall (4-0) downed Morgan Park 48-35 as Sabrina Minter tallied 19 points and Latrice Ray added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Morgan Park (4-3) was paced by Constance Jinks’ 12.
Maine West 70, Lake Forest 46: No. 9 Maine West (6-3) won the non-conference game as Julie Fregetto had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Hersey 50, Schaumburg 39: No. 8 Hersey (7-2) prevailed in non-conference play as Mellissa Schneider scored 14 and Abbie Willenborg 11.
Naperville North 61, West Chicago 37: No. 15 Naperville North (8-1) won its DuPage Valley opener, dropping West Chicago to 6-2, as T.J. Williams tallied 20 points and seven steals and Hollie Jo Renner added 16 points. Naperville North jumped to a 17-4 lead, led by Williams’ seven points and two steals and Renner’s eight points.
“We’re capable of playing better, but I feel much better tonight than I have any other time this year,” said Naperville North coach Dale Shymkewich.
Joliet 49, Stagg 47: Stagg’s potential game-winning three-pointer hit the back of the rim and No. 16 Joliet breathed a sigh of relief as it remained undefeated at 8-0 and 1-0 in the SICA West. Andrienne Turner (13 points, 3 steals), who hit a three-pointer with eight seconds left to pull Stagg within a basket, tossed up another as time ran down, but it wasn’t to be.
“We knew coming in here this was going to be a tough game,” said Joliet coach Al Mart.
Two steals by Machell Roberts (12 points, four steals) and four points and a steal by Janell Tabor (12 points) highlighted a 9-0 first-half spurt that gave Joliet a 30-27 halftime lead.
Samantha Cartright scored 13 off the bench to lead Joliet. Abby Booth had a game-high 16 points for the Chargers (7-2, 0-1).
Sandburg 70, Lockport 69 (OT): No. 19 Sandburg (9-0) struggled in its SICA West opener but prevailed when Amanda Aubin, who scored six points, drained a 15-foot jumper with 10 seconds remaining in overtime. Ann Mullins scored six of her 33 points in overtime. Mullins had 24 points after halftime and hit nine three-pointers.
Peg Casey’s 22 points led Lockport, which forced overtime on Casey’s three-pointer at the regulation buzzer.
Mother McAuley 53, Immaculate Heart of Mary 26: McAuley (3-3) allowed just four first-quarter points and tallied 19 steals overall to cruise in non-conference play. Jeanene Novick had 12 points, eight rebounds and four steals and Andrea Gunnell added 10 points to lead McAuley. Stephanie Christman’s 18 points topped IHM (5-6).
“Defensively we are playing much better now,” said McAuley coach Barbara Edwards. “We’re hustling, and the intensity is there.”
Chicago Vocational 67, Corliss 35: Ivana Bradford scored 12 points, Knecesia Hudson had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Lashawn Dowd added 10 points and five steals as CVS (12-1, 2-0) stayed unbeaten in the Public Red South.
Lourdes 39, Academy of Our Lady 38: With one minute 20 seconds to go, Lourdes (3-6, 1-1) came back from an 11-point deficit for the GCAC South win. Chrissy Flamm (15 points) hit three three-pointers down the stretch to lead the way. Jill Tremble added 14 points for the Lions.
Joliet Catholic 44, St. Viator 42 (OT): St. Viator led the whole way until Joliet’s Megan Serena (six points) tied the game with 30 seconds left in regulation. Jill Van Meter won it with 11 seconds to go on a 12-footer. Emily Marino led the Hilltoppers (4-2, 1-1 East Suburban Catholic) with 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Thornwood 52, Thornridge 44: Thornwood (6-1) won its SICA East opener as Jackie Gray scored 10 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter.
St. Charles 61, Lake Park 49: St. Charles (4-5, 2-1) won in the Upstate Eight as Stephanie Cox netted 20 points.
T.F. South 56, Eisenhower 44: Kris Kooy pulled down a remarkable 29 rebounds, adding 12 blocks, 13 points and four assists, as South (3-0, 2-0) prevailed in the SICA Central. Beth Tomaszewski added 15 points.
Queen of Peace 60, Notre Dame 21: Fourteen players reached the scoring column for Queen of Peace (3-3), led by Colleen Sexton (9 points) and Anne Wolfer (8). Karyn Horn added 11 rebounds in the GCAC crossover.
Lane 64, Westinghouse 60: Sandra Urguiga’s 18 points powered Lane.
Fenwick 43, Benet 40: Brenna Smith (15 points, 10 rebounds) hit two free throws with :13 remaining to ice the win for Fenwick (5-3, 2-0 East Suburban Catholic). Kristina Fano added 10 points and Amanda Papuga 10 assists.
Barrington 54, Cary-Grove 44: Courtney Murdock’s 11 points and 14 rebounds and Nicole Magro’s 11 points powered Barrington (5-4) to the non-conference victory.
Palatine 47, Prospect 46: Palatine (3-7) hung on for the non-conference victory as Karin Hagberg tallied 13 points and eight rebounds.
Larkin 46, West Aurora 45: Shronda Baldwin scored 20 points, including the game-winner with :07 left, as Larkin (2-6, 1-3) prevailed in the Upstate Eight.
Regina 62, St. Scholastica 49: In the GCAC North, Regina (4-0, 3-0) stayed unbeaten as Stephanie Jost collected 13 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.
Lake Forest Academy 39, North Shore 26: Kerri Anderson led the way with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Kellee Randle added eight points and 10 rebounds for Lake Forest Academy (3-5, 1-3 Independent School League).
St. Benedict 45, Holy Trinity 27: St. Benedict (6-3, 2-0) remained perfect in the Chicago Prep behind Ning Kongrut’s 16 points and nine rebounds and Kisha Lewis’ 10 points and 10 rebounds.
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St. Ignatius 51, St. Francis de Sales 34: In the GCAC East, Eileen Guinane scored 11 points and Sarah Dillon had 10 to lead Ignatius (4-2, 1-0).
Glenbard North 53, Glenbard South 44: Sarah Larson had 19 points and Tammy Smith added 11 as North (6-1, 1-0) prevailed in the DuPage Valley.
Wheaton Christian 39, Chicago Christian 35: Beth Rooks had 17 points and Karma Kamerlander added 11 for Wheaton Christian (6-2, 3-2 Private School League).
Maria 59, Oak Park 35: Jennifer Cain had 22 points, six steals and four assists and Sarah Zalewski added 12 points as Maria (3-2) took the non-conference win. Monique Njumbe led Oak Park with 10 points.
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Phillips 69, Foreman 42: Eric Watkins racked up 16 points to lead four in double figures as No. 8 Phillips (5-0) prevailed in non-conference play.
South Shore 87, Near North 48: No. 10 South Shore cruised behind Joel Vullock’s 28 points and four steals, Garvin Smith’s 11 points and Paul McPherson’s 23 points, three blocks and three steals.
“That was our best game this year in terms of everyone playing their role,” said South Shore coach Harry Thomas, whose squad improves to 5-1. “The key to the game was balance and execution.”
North Shore 65, Lake Forest Academy 51: Luke Bakalar scored all 18 of his points from three-point range, Andrew Sigesmund scored 17 and Scott Weitzman added 16 for North Shore (2-3, 1-2 Independent School League).
DuSable 46, Fenger 34: Hashine Hogue (11 points, 13 assists), Keith Kilgore (15 points) and Antonio Puckett (10 points) paced DuSable.
Wells 79, Clemente 73: Demetrius Douglass scored 17 points to lead Wells in non-conference play. Clemente’s Roberto Pagan led all scorers with 24.
St. Ignatius 69, St. Laurence 45: Dave Bruno scored 25 and John Mosley added 18 as St. Ignatius (4-3, 1-0 Catholic League) prevailed.
North Shore 65, Lake Forest Academy 51: Luke Bakalar scored all 18 of his points from three-point range, Andrew Sigesmund scored 17 and Scott Weitzman added 16 for North Shore (2-3, 1-2 Independent School League).