St. Charles North survives late comeback attempt from Glenbard West, stay undefeated with 46-34 victory

GLEN ELLYN — St. Charles North needed a little bit of a push to end the game.

After leading Glenbard West by as much as 18 in the second half, the North Stars found themselves only up 36-34 with 3:30 left in the game, and needing something to fall to ward off the home team.

So when junior Sydney Johnson got an open 3-point shot from the corner, she put trust in herself to take it.

And swish it in.

“I was not hitting the shots that I wanted all game, but I knew we had to get a push,” Johnson said. “I was just feeling confident, because I knew if I had the confidence there, it wouldn’t have gone it.”

Johnson’s 3-pointer sparked a 10-0 North Stars run to end the game to secure a 46-34 victory over the Hilltoppers on Thursday.

“We’re happy that (Glenbard West) had us on our schedule,” North Stars coach Mike Tomczak said. “There was a playoff atmosphere to this game. There was physicality on both sides, with girls playing hard. It was a great early game for our girls to experience, especially with our youth.”

St. Charles North (7-0) came out hot on defense, holding the Hilltoppers to just 10 points in the first half, including just two points in the first frame.

“We’ve been struggling on defense over the past couple of games, but I was proud of how hard our girls came out in the first half,” Tomczak said. “Holding a team like Glenbard West to 10 points in a half, I was proud of how we played defensively.”

While the defense was working, the offense started to find its rhythm late in the second half after a 3-pointer from sophomore Lelanie Posada. The guard would keep that momentum throughout the game, sinking two more in the game to help her to a team-high 15 points in the game and push the lead to 30-12 early in the third quarter.

“We had a lot of confidence heading into this game because we worked on the stuff we needed to after our last game,” Posada said. “I feel like everyone just came out with a bunch of confidence, and our bench really fueled everyone on the court and gave us that push.”

Along with Posada, Johnson (10 points, four steals) and junior Elle Fuhr (eight points, nine rebounds) led the North Stars offensively.

But even with North building up a giant lead in the third quarter, Glenbard West (6-1) did not back down. The Hilltoppers ended up outscoring the North Stars 18-9 in the third frame, including a 14-4 run to end the quarter, and went on a 6-2 run to start the fourth quarter and draw within two points.

“I was proud of how of our girls,” Glenbard West coach Kristi Faulkner said. “They fought until the end and never gave up. Credit to St. Charles North’s defense, they played tough and we got down. But we still fought back.”

Part of the success the Hilltoppers saw in the third quarter was thanks to senior Makenna Yeager, who played with a bandage on her nose for the entire second half after getting a bloody nose following a collision in the second quarter.

Even with the addition, the senior put up a team-high 10 points, which all came in the third quarter. She also recorded three steals in the game.

“She really is a true competitor, and she does whatever she can, whether its diving on the floor for loose balls or getting knocked in the nose,” Faulkner said. “But she’s always going to fight, and she’s a lot of fun to coach.”

Along with Yeager, senior Saniya Harvey also was crucial to the second half success, putting up eight points, six rebounds and two steals from off the bench. Sophomore Ellie Noble added 12 rebounds and six steals, both team-highs, in the contest.