Girls basketball: Woodstock North hands Woodstock 1st Kishwaukee River Conference loss

WOODSTOCK – Woodstock North let a few late leads slip away early in the season and was determined to not let that happen Friday night against crosstown rival Woodstock.

“We weren’t letting up,” senior guard Addi Rishling said. “We didn’t panic. We stayed together and took care of the ball. I felt like we just came out strong and confident. We didn’t give up, and it really showed.”

Led by 15 points from Rishling and 13 points from senior guard Caylin Stevens, the Thunder pulled ahead of the Blue Streaks late in the third quarter and played stifling defense over the final eight minutes for a 39-30 Kishwaukee River Conference victory.

With the win, the Thunder (8-8, 3-3 KRC) remained in the hunt for the KRC title and handed the Streaks (8-7, 5-1) their first conference loss.

“It’s always an intense game,” North coach Jay Justice said of the crosstown rivalry. “There’s lots of emotions surrounding the game all week. They start thinking about it a week ahead of time. It’s circled on the calendar, for sure.

“With Woodstock being undefeated in conference, our message going into tonight was, ‘It’s not over for us.’ If we win the second half of the conference season, we’re going to be right there, too. Tonight was goal No. 1. The girls responded and played outstanding.”

Woodstock, which took third in the KRC last season, one spot ahead of North, went on a 10-0 run at the start of the third quarter to take a 22-18 lead, with back-to-back buckets from senior center Anna Crenshaw putting the Streaks ahead.

It was the last time Woodstock held a lead.

“I felt like we just came out strong and confident. We didn’t give up, and it really showed.”

—  Addi Rishling, Woodstock North senior guard

North answered, with Stevens knocking down a 3 with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter to tie the score at 22. The Thunder went on to score the last nine points of the quarter and never trailed again, taking a 27-22 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Woodstock coach Jay Fuller felt his team was unable to handle the defensive pressure of North, which helped cause 24 turnovers. The Streaks also lost junior Keira Bogott, one of the team’s best ball handlers, to an ankle injury less than three minutes into the game.

“They’re a very aggressive team,” Fuller said of the Thunder. “We just didn’t handle it well, and we couldn’t find the basket tonight. Girls that usually don’t miss layups were missing. I don’t think we made one 3-point shot all night.

“[Bogott] is a tough kid. She’s our best athlete and she can handled the pressure. That changed the game for us.”

Woodstock was led by senior forward Natalie Morrow with 10 points and nine rebounds. Crenshaw had eight points, Lily Novelle had six and Allie O’Brien added four.

Addy Saunders tossed in six points for North, and Ashley Janeczko had five.

Stevens scored 10 of her 13 points after halftime, knocking down four free throws in the fourth quarter. Along with her game-high 15 points, Rishling finished with 11 rebounds, five steals and three 3-pointers.

Rishling missed most of last season after suffering a torn ACL in North’s KRC opener against Marengo. That also cost Rishling her junior season of soccer. She’s thrilled to be back.

“I just love playing with my girls again and being out there on the court and on the field,” Rishling said. “It was tough last year. I had moments when I was so upset, but I eventually got over it, and I just wanted to see my girls succeed. I wanted to be there for them no matter what. I wanted to be on the bench cheering.”

Justice said Rishling is one of the team’s biggest sources of positivity.

“She is the team’s energy,” Justice said. “She’s kind of the source of it all, getting people fired up on the bench, and she wants to play. She just does not take plays off. Her teammates see that and respond to that. I think just the leadership and her positivity and her willingness to play hard has gone a long way.”