Maine South’s fast start sets tone in Komaromy Classic semifinal win over St. Charles North

CARPENTERSVILLE – Fearing a potential upset in the semifinals of the 41st Annual Komaromy Classic, Maine South set the tone early with some aggressive defense against St. Charles North on Saturday night at Dundee-Crown.

The perennial power Hawks stormed ahead of the North Stars 15-4 after one quarter. St. Charles North trailed 24-13 at halftime, and it managed to stay within striking distance as an inside basket by Sydney Johnson cut the lead to 24-16 early in the third quarter.

But it was all Maine South the rest of the way, as they pulled away in the final quarter for a 48-31 victory to advance to the championship game Monday night at 8 p.m. against undefeated Huntley (13-0).

Cornell-bound Ally Pape (game-high 13 points, seven rebounds, three steals) scored on an assist by sophomore reserve Hayden Fahy (11 points) for a 31-16 lead as St. Charles North (13-3) trailed 31-18 after three quarters.

The Hawks (13-3) really started to pull away early in the fourth quarter. Five points by Pape and a 3-pointer by Amelia Fernandez gave Maine South its biggest lead at 39-18 with 5:39 to play.

“Maine South is an outstanding team. This is a great opportunity for us to get better, and that’s what we need,” said St. Charles North coach Mike Tomczak, whose team will play Stevenson for third place Monday at 6:30 p.m. “They’re big, strong and athletic, and they pursue the ball really well.”

Maine South’s Asia Kobylarczyk had nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while teammate Katie Barker (seven rebounds, six points, four steals, three assists) also had a strong all-around game.

“We had a really good halftime talk about keeping up the momentum,” said Barker, whose team is the two-time defending Komaromy Classic champions. “The defensive stops allowed us to push it in transition and score on the other end.”

Sophomore Bronwyn How scored a team-high 11 points for the North Stars. Teammates Sydney Johnson and Lelanie Posada scored eight and six points, respectively. Emily Currey added six points for the Hawks.

“We knew coming in that St. Charles was very aggressive (on defense), and being able to move the ball would be a key,” said Maine South coach Jeff Hamann. “Defensively I thought we were fantastic, and we were able to switch our defenses against them well.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20241228/girls-basketball/girls-basketball-maine-souths-fast-start-too-much-for-st-charles-north-in-komaromy-semifinals/