Girls Basketball: Kaitlyn Hatteberg, Newark win third straight Little Ten Conference Tournament title

Hatteberg’s 14 points, five steals lead 52-34 win over Somonauk

NEWARK – The reemergence of high school basketball in Illinois has proved vital during this global pandemic, especially for seniors competing for the last time in a sport they love.

Newark’s Kaitlyn Hatteberg is one of those seniors.

On Saturday, Feb. 20, her performance was crucial in helping the second-seeded Lady Norsemen forge a masterful defensive performance for a 52-34 victory over fifth-seeded Somonauk to win the 40th annual Little Ten Conference Tournament.

It was the first time since 1997 that the LTC girls title game was contested on the Lady Norsemen’s home floor. Hatteberg was thrilled to help lead Newark to its third consecutive championship – all of which she’s been a major part of – after contributing a team-high 14 points and five steals.

Newark’s championship is its ninth in an event that dates back to 1982.

“Tonight was really special, and I honestly didn’t know if we’d ever get to play a championship game like this or even have a season at all with the pandemic,” Hatteberg said. “I was happy I could pick it up at the end and I’m very grateful to have been a part of winning three straight tournament championships at Newark.”

Hatteberg did pick it up late with 10 of her points coming in the second half, including eight in the fourth quarter, along with some key steals that open up what was a two-point lead at halftime.

“I am so proud of these girls, and to think we might not have even had a season and to come in here at home and win the championship is awesome,” Newark coach Barb Scott said. “Kaitlyn was fantastic tonight leading us offensively and defensively in the second half where we really shut Somonauk down with our zone defense. It was a great team win for our third title in a row and I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Newark (4-1) also received key efforts from Hatteberg’s sister Lindsey, a junior who contributed seven points, senior Kailee Bortan (seven points), junior Kailey Wohead (five points) as well as five points and a massive 13 rebounds off from junior Kellie Snyder.

Somonauk (3-4) saw a tremendous effort from junior standout Maggie Roberts, who posted a game-high 21 points, including 16 in the first half.

Senior Ashley Eaton produced seven points and six boards, but the Lady Bobcats could only connect on seven field goals (7 of 36 for 19.4%) compared with Newark’s total (21 of 55 for 38.2%), while also getting out-rebounded, 38-25, and coughing up a whopping 31 turnovers as a result of Newark’s staunch defense.

The Lady Bobcats had reached the championship with an upset of top-seed Indian Creek on Friday.

“In the other two games we played during this tournament, our defense stood tall but tonight ours didn’t and Newark’s did, so kudos to them,” Somonauk coach Garland King said. “We had our chances cutting the gap to just two at halftime. But after that we couldn’t get anything going in the second half, and give Newark a lot of credit defensively for that. I’m still very proud of the way the girls fought tonight.”

Newark jumped ahead, 16-6, after one quarter on 7-of-16 shooting, when sophomore Bre Dixon (four points) put in a layup off a nice assist from Taylor Kruser as the buzzer sounded.

But Somonauk rallied late in the second quarter. Trailing, 25-15, with less than two minutes to go in the first half, Roberts went to the hole relentlessly and nailed eight consecutive free throws to pull the Lady Bobcats to within a pair at 25-23 at the break.

That’s where the Newark defense kicked in during the third quarter as the Lady Norsemen limited Somonauk to only one Eaton free throw and forced the Lady Bobcats into 10 turnovers, resulting in a 37-24 advantage with eight minutes remaining.

From there, Kaitlyn Hatteberg took control inside the paint, scoring eight points to help seal the deal for the home team’s third consecutive LTC tourney title.

“It’s just as exciting to win this championship as it was a few years ago for me before when I was a sophomore,” Hatteberg said. “But somehow this one might be a little more special because of what we’ve all been going through.”