Girls basketball: Kouts, South Central win PCC openers
By Josh Lichtenfeld Post-Tribune correspondent January 16, 2012 10:58PM
Kouts' Sarah Clemens pulls the rebound away from Hebron's Christy Reick and Anneliese Kieper in the fourth quarter Monday eveing at Morgan Twp. | Jeffrey D. Nicholls~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 18, 2012 8:16AM
VALPARAISO — Until last few minutes, the opening battle in the girls PCC Tournament looked wide open.
While the girls event has been around for a lengthy 40 years now, the war of attrition between Kouts and Hebron also proved to be a long-winded affair. Turnovers, lead changes and constant defensive stops lingered until the Fillies pulled away with a 14-0 run to win 43-33.
Kouts’ will return to host site Morgan Township on Friday (at 6 p.m.) to face South Central. In much different fashion, the Satellites broke away thanks to a strong second quarter and beat rival LaCrosse 46-33 in the nightcap of the opening night of action.
“We struggled to move; we’ve been having some difficulties on the offensive side of the ball to get some fluency,” Kouts coach Ron Kobza said of the first three quarters.
But on a combined 11 points between seniors Jenna Jessen and Lexi Sippel, the offense returned during the run. After a 29-28 lead swung Hebron‘s way, Jessen, who played with four fouls during the fourth quarter, started the takeover on a clutch 3-pointer.
“I knew that my team needed me, needed me mentally, needed me in the game … so I couldn’t play stupidly,” said Jessen who led the Fillies with 17 points.
The seniors stepping up didn’t really come as a surprise to Kobza.
“Well, you know, the seniors definitely don’t want to go out of this tournament,” he said.
Hebron’s Christy Reick led all scorers with 19 points.
Though South Central began its night in a 6-5 hole after one quarter, stopping Satellites sophomore Jill Rosenbaum became an increasingly harder the rest of the game.
The post player rebounded from three points in the opening quarter to put up eight of her team’s 10 points in the second and contributed in other ways to a 15-11 halftime advantage. From there the Satellites used a balanced effort.
“That’s what it takes when you’re playing arch rival LaCrosse,” South Central coach Rick Budka said.
While Rosenbaum continued a strong season with five field goals and 7 of 13 from the free-throw line, staying out of foul trouble was an accomplishment. In the prior two contests, fouls limited her play.
“I just got it into my head that I have to play with my feet and not my hands,” she said with a smile.
Junior Gabbie Sievers led LaCrosse with 14 points.
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