They’re only sophomores, which bodes well for the future of the Immaculate Heart of Mary basketball program. The present isn’t looking too shabby either.
Sophomore twin sisters Krystal and Gina Hugelier and classmate Erin Neiheisel were too much for Loyola to handle, leading the 13th-ranked Fighting Tigers to a 56-44 GCAC crossover victory Tuesday in Westchester.
The trio combined to score all but eight of the team’s points in leading IHM (20-2) to its seventh straight win. IHM coach Stacy Kundinger starts three sophomores and two juniors and only has one senior on the roster, but she said she resists looking down the road.
“I don’t want to look too far into the future because we have to concentrate on right now,” she said. “God only knows what can happen in the future. We have to focus on the present.”
The present saw IHM turn a 24-23 halftime advantage into a 45-37 lead going into the fourth quarter. Krystal Hugelier, who led all scorers with 21 points to go with three steals and four rebounds, spurred a 9-0 run by hitting back-to-back three-pointers to make it 45-33. Neiheisel scored 10 of her 15 points in the third quarter that saw IHM make 9-of-11 free throws and 5-of-6 shots from the field.
“Things just clicked in the third quarter,” said Gina Hugelier, who tallied 12 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Loyola (13-11), which led only briefly at the start, seemingly never recovered after the third quarter, during which Ramblers coach Tanya Johnson picked up a technical foul after arguing a call. Loyola scored only seven points in the fourth quarter.
“Right from the get-go it seemed like we weren’t into it,” Johnson said. “They were the better team.”
Debbie Schick led Loyola with 12 points, eight of which came in the first quarter.
— Sean Duncan
Marshall 91, Dunbar 49: The third-ranked Commandos stormed by No. 18 Dunbar (13-9, 4-3) in the Public Superconference on the strength of a 55-12 scoring edge in the second half. Tiffany Sardin led Marshall (16-4, 7-0) with 27 points and 16 rebounds, while Cappie Pondexter had 26 points and 14 rebounds.
The Mighty Women led by as many as five in the second quarter behind Desire Wheeler’s 10 points. Wheeler led Dunbar with 20 points.
Stevenson 62, Mundelein 26: No. 4 Stevenson clinched the North Suburban Lake title and won its 41st straight conference game in its rout over Mundelein. Jenni Dant had 12 points, four steals and four assists as the Patriots (21-3, 8-0) jumped out to a 34-9 halftime advantage.
Erin Murtha led Stevenson with 14 points and Maritza Morales chipped in with 11. Mundelein (19-6, 4-4) was led by Eileen Foley and Ashley Stein’s six points.
Fremd 52, Hoffman Estates 37: Maggie Fontana scored 23 points to lead No. 7 Fremd (15-3, 6-1) to the Mid-Suburban West win. Mandy Mennella led Hoffman Estates (12-9, 3-4) with 15 points.
Maine South 49, New Trier 48: Maine South proved strong in the last 54 seconds of the game to hold off No. 8 New Trier (19-5, 7-1) in the Central Suburban South. New Trier’s Lisa Jorjorian was fouled with no time remaining but missed the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity. Liz Bondi had 18 points for Maine South (17-7, 6-1) and Nora Quish scored 29 for New Trier.
Rich South 35, Richards 34: Katie Reutter scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half as No. 14 Rich South (18-3) survived 35 turnovers in the non-conference win. Reutter hit the game-winning free throws with 14 seconds left and pulled down 13 rebounds. Tina Hill scored 12 points to lead No. 17 Richards (19-2).
Bolingbrook 49, Stagg 40: Chloe Kerr scored 16 points to lead Bolingbrook (14-7, 4-2) in the upset of No. 15 Stagg. Heather King scored 11 points for Stagg.
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Naperville North 45, Neuqua Valley 44: Rachel Karos scored 15 points in the Huskies’ victory.
Sandburg 66, Shepard 28: Lindsey Kreiger had 14 points for the Eagles (17-6).