Sisters Addie and Brooklyn Schilb lead St. Charles East to 46-43 comeback win over Wheaton North

WHEATON — St. Charles East junior Addie Schilb needed to find just one open look.

With her team trailing Wheaton North 42-40 with just under two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Saints were looking for any opportunity to put up a shot to either tie the game or give them their first lead since early in second quarter.

So when the junior found her opening in deep 3-point range, only one thought went through her mind.

“I knew that there weren’t many opportunities, especially since their defense is really good,” Schilb said. “So I knew I had to take it.”

So she took the shot and nailed it home.

Addie Schilb’s 3-pointer, along with freshman Brooklyn Schilb’s assist and free throw in the closing seconds, proved to be enough to lead St. Charles East to a 46-43 comeback victory over Wheaton North on Tuesday.

“They are the workhorses for our team,” St. Charles East coach Katie Claussner said. “When they’re on the floor, which is almost the entire game, I know we can trust in them to get everything done for us. I can’t ask for a better group of sisters.”

Besides her key 3-pointer in the fourth, Addie Schilb came through in the third quarter for the Saints. After entering the half down 28-22, she scored eight of her 13 points on the night in that quarter to help cut the deficit to just two heading into the final frame.

“I knew I had to play through contact and other players, so I knew I had to drive to the basket hard no matter who was there,” Addie Schilb said.

In the fourth, it was Brooklyn Schilb who came up big. With the score tied at 43 following a free throw from Wheaton North’s Sara Abdul, Brooklyn Schilb found Sofia O’Sullivan, who put up a layup for the eventual go-ahead basket to put the Saints up 45-43.

“I was just looking to find a way to score,” Brooklyn Schilb said. “I was trying to get through any little gap I could find. Sofia had a great cut, she was there and had a strong finish.”

Brooklyn Schilb finished the game with a team-high 17 points, including six points and a game-sealing free throw.

“I knew I had to be strong, especially since the other team was playing tough,” Brooklyn Schilb said. “I had to go up strong and be able to go up against their taller players. So I knew I needed to get in position and stay calm.”

Wheaton North (1-6, 0-2) had its biggest lead of the game in the second quarter after scoring 12 consecutive points over a five-minute span before entering halftime with a 28-22 lead. But Wheaton North coach Tyler Bantz said that it was not focusing on the little things that cost them the game.

“It was just the little things throughout the game that added up and made the difference in a tight game,” Bantz said. “We’re right there. We’ve got to play for 32 minutes, and we’ve got to fix some of those little things to take us from a good team to a great team.”

The Falcons did see plenty of success in their defensive play. Junior Brigitte Noyes (11 points) finished the game with six blocks, while senior Sara Abdul (17 points) had five steals and Brea Moore (six points) had four.

“I think we’re getting better on defense,” Bantz said. “I thought we looked a lot better defensively than in previous games, and we were pretty active. Brigitte’s tough to shoot over, Sara reads the game really well and Brea’s the fastest girl on the floor. But I think that’s the best our defense has looked so far.”