Junior forward Ellie Noble scored 13 of her game-high 22 points in the second half to lift Glenbard West to a 56-41 nonconference girls basketball victory over St. Charles East Tuesday night in Glen Ellyn.
Carrying a 37-31 advantage into the fourth quarter, the Hilltoppers (22-3) used a 12-3 run in the first four-plus minutes to help pull away from the Saints (14-9).
Junior Sophia Evans, who finished with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds off the bench, tallied the first five points of the final quarter, including back-to-back putbacks, to make it 42-31.
Nina Hendricksen (nine points) added a three-point play, Addison Long sank a pair of free throws, and Noble’s scoop layup capped the run and gave the Hilltoppers a 49-33 lead midway through the quarter.
“It was very exciting,” said Noble, who added eight rebounds while playing all 32 minutes. “It was a great team effort. No matter how many minutes you’re getting, I feel like everybody is making an impact. Everybody is working together to get the win.”
Junior guard Katie Meehan added eight points for the Hilltoppers, who pocketed their second victory in three meetings against the Saints in a 12-month span.
“I feel like we have a lot of depth,” said Glenbard coach Kristi Faulkner. “It’s great to have that versatility. Defensively, we have five girls on the floor who really work together and play as a unit.”
Noble led the way despite facing a tough defensive assignment against Saints sophomore Brooklyn Schilb.
“She does so much for us,” Faulkner said of Noble. “Ellie just played really hard and smart. She did a great job on both ends of the floor tonight.
“It’s fun to be home — we had a nice crowd. Every game, we’re just trying to get a little better. These tough games prepare us for the postseason.”
Brooklyn Schilb led the Saints with 20 points, six rebounds, four steals and a pair of blocked shots, supported by her sister, senior Addie Schilb (nine points, five rebounds, five steals), and sophomore guard Kathlyn Bainbridge (eight points, six rebounds).
“We kept battling,” said Saints coach Katie Claussner. “We made some spurts, but we just couldn’t hit a shot. There were several 3s where I kept thinking, ‘If that went in, that momentum would have been ours.’ ”
Trailing 21-16 at halftime, the Saints fell behind by 10 at 26-16 in the early stages of the second half before going on a 12-2 surge to tie it at 28-28 on Bainbridge’s 3-pointer with 3:39 left in the third quarter.
From there, the Hilltoppers answered with a 9-3 run of their own that included five consecutive points from Noble and Meehan’s baseline driving layup to make it 37-31 after three quarters.
“I think we played solid half-court defense, and then they’d miss a shot, we didn’t box out, and they got an easy bucket off a second chance,” said Claussner. “That kills our momentum on defense.
“They’re (the Hilltoppers) a great team. We love playing hard competition. More than likely, we’re going to see them again.”