High school girls basketball: Dundee-Crown holds off Hampshire to reach Charger-Komaromy consolation final

CARPENTERSVILLE – Dundee-Crown erased an eight-point deficit over the last 3:50 of the third quarter against Hampshire, forcing turnovers on four straight possessions and finally going ahead on a steal and two free throws from junior Katelyn Skibinski.

In the fourth quarter, the Chargers stayed on the attack and made the most of their scoring chances, hitting 13-of-14 free throws in the last eight minutes and defeating the Whip-Purs, 46-39, Friday in the consolation bracket semifinals of Dundee-Crown's 36th annual Charger-Komaromy Classic.

The Chargers (13-4), who play Prospect for the consolation title at 2 p.m. Saturday, shot 86.4 percent from the free-throw line, making 19 of 22. Hampshire (14-4) entered with 13 wins over its last 14 games and will play Barrington for 11th place at 12:30 p.m.

D-C trailed, 24-16, with 4:26 left in the third, but a 10-1 run led by Skibinski and Payton Schmidt, who each scored four points during the run, turned an eight-point deficit into a 26-25 lead for the Chargers.

"I was so proud of their poise in the pressure moments," Chargers coach Sarah Miller said. "I was proud of the adjustments we made to attack in the fourth quarter and move more off the ball. I felt like we really started to go at them, and that's what helped us get those foul calls.

"We stayed at it, and we stayed persistent. We just never gave up."

Schmidt led all scorers with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, also finishing with eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Gianine Boado added nine points and three assists, and Skibinski tossed in eight points.

Schmidt hit her team's only 3-pointer of the game with 2:30 left, giving the Chargers a 37-36 lead after Hampshire senior guard Ally Cermak (13 points) put the Whips ahead on a drive and layup seconds earlier.

Hampshire scored only three points over the final 3:16.

Chargers senior forward Kendall Kieltyka had six points, all in the fourth, with six rebounds and two blocks.

"I was really proud of how (Kieltyka) stepped up because we needed someone to take charge at that point of the game," Miller said. "When it was needed, she was there."

D-C and Hampshire are the last two unbeaten teams in the Fox Valley Conference at 5-0. Even though Friday's result won't count toward the conference standings, both sides felt the importance of the late December matchup.

"We knew going in it was going to be a huge game for both teams," said Schmidt, whose Chargers lost to Hampshire in the consolation final at last year's tournament. "We know that they're a good team. We were all feeding off each other's energy and playing to each other's strengths."

Hampshire forward Kelby Bannerman was held to eight points and had one basket. Katie Del Re and Morgan Haefling had seven points apiece. Hampshire was playing without starting senior guard Sarah Bowen, who is in Florida for a family wedding.

"Their style is a little bit in your face, more intense," Hampshire coach Mike Featherly said. "They bring so much pressure, and that's hard to replicate in practice."

Finishing out their own tournament with a win would be a big boost for the Chargers' confidence, Kieltyka said.

"We really want to go 3-1," Kieltyka said. "Winning the consolation championship will show other teams and send a message, that we mean business when we step on the court."

STAR OF THE GAME

Kendall Kieltyka, Dundee-Crown, sr., F

Kieltyka provided a burst off the bench, scoring all six of her points in the fourth quarter. She added two blocks and grabbed six rebounds.

THE NUMBER

86: The Chargers shot 86 percent on free throws (19 of 22).

AND ANOTHER THING ...

Hampshire beat D-C in last year's Charger-Komaromy consolation bracket championship and went 2-1 against the Chargers, splitting the conference series. The Fox Valley Conference co-leaders meet Jan. 11.

Charger-Komaromy Classic

Dundee-Crown 46, Hampshire 39

HAMPSHIRE (39): Del Re 3 1-2 7, Cermak 4 4-5 13, Heine 0 1-2 1, Haefling 2 2-2 7, Dumoulin 0 0-0 0, Walker 0 0-3 0, Bannerman 1 5-8 8, Cork 0 0-0 0, Johnson 1 0-0 3, Lambert 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 13-22 39.

DUNDEE-CROWN (46): Schmidt 5 5-6 16, Walker 0 0-0 0, Skibinski 2 4-4 8, Munoz 0 0-0 0, Gotter 1 0-0 2, Kieltyka 1 4-4 6, Azar 0 0-0 0, Crenshaw 2 1-2 5, Boado 2 5-6 9. Totals: 13 19-22 46.

Hampshire 5 9 11 14 – 39

Dundee-Crown 5 8 13 20 – 46

3-point goals: Hampshire 4 (Cermak, Haefling, Bannerman, Johnson), Dundee-Crown 1 (Schmidt). Total fouls: Hampshire 18, Dundee-Crown 21.