Girls Basketball: Hirsch, Henley propel Niles North past Spartans
BY BILL PEMSTEIN Contributor January 20, 2012 11:14PM
Skokie, 01/20/12--Glenbrook North's Sammie Von Rueden (left) guards as Alissa Hirsh of Niles North drives for the basket in Skokie, IL on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. | Shauna Bittle~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 23, 2012 3:45PM
Rachel Blitt’s drive and bucket pulled Glenbrook North to within a single point at halfway through the second quarter at Niles North on Friday night.
And then those two special players from the home team took over this CSL contest. Alissa Hirsh (20 points) and teammate Mariyah Henley (19 points, 14 rebounds) helped propel the Vikings (13-9) to a 17-2 run as Niles North stopped 15-game winner Glenbrook North 57-42.
Hirsh — held to three points in the first half — broke out with 17 second-half points.
“We talked at halftime how we came out flat in the first half,’’ Hirsh said. “And then something snapped. We knew we had to take the ball to basket. And once a few shots fell, we got going.”
Hirsh’s first basket of the game came in the final minute of the first quarter and the Vikings were up 12-4. However the Spartans (15-6) used some outside shooting from Sammie Von Rueden (15 points) to crawl back into this game. On a rebound bucket from Gracie Sanchez (13 points), the Spartans took a 17-16 lead.
“We started turning the ball over,’’ said Glenbrook North coach Renee Brosnan. “It went from a one-point game to a nine-point game. We have the ability to overcome that but their offensive rebounds killed us.”
In one stretch during the third quarter, the Vikings missed seven straight shots and the Spartans caught up in a hurry. But a four-point run by Henley and Hirsh’s buzzer-beating shot built the home team’s lead to 35-25 at the end of the third quarter.
“In the second half, we did a much better job of pushing the pace,’’ said Niles North coach Dan Paxson. “We like to pick up full court and we started to turn them over.”
Hirsh’s three-point play opened the fourth quarter as the Vikings opened a double digit lead.
“In the second half, I knew I couldn’t score another three points,” Hirsh said. “And my floater got going.”
Erica Sogo backed up the GBN attack with six points. Shelley-Rae Moody chipped in seven points for the winners.
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