Girls basketball: Woodstock gets back at crosstown rival Woodstock North

WOODSTOCK – Woodstock junior guard Keira Bogott suffered an ankle injury in the opening minute against Woodstock North last month and had to watch the rest of her team’s game from the bench.

Senior forward Anna Crenshaw, the team’s best shot blocker, battled an illness that day and wasn’t close to 100%, either.

On Wednesday, Bogott and Crenshaw were back to full strength and helped lift the Blue Streaks past their crosstown rivals.

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Woodstock vs. Woodstock North Girls Basketball Woodstock's Alison O'Brien, right, pushes past Woodstock North defender Caylin Stevens during their game on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at Woodstock High School. Ryan Rayburn for Shaw Local (Ryan Rayburn for Shaw Local/Ryan Rayburn for Shaw Local)

Bogott poured in a team-high 14 points and added eight rebounds, and Crenshaw had a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks for Woodstock in a 43-31 win against Woodstock North in the Kishwaukee River Conference finale for both teams.

Wednesday’s win felt extra nice for the Woodstock (16-10, 12-2 KRC), which had its best finish ever in the KRC. Marengo secured the KRC championship outright with a win over Sandwich, but the Streaks weren’t far behind, taking runner-up and finishing a game out of first.

Woodstock split its regular-season series with Marengo and beat every team in the KRC at least once, showing it can compete with anyone. The Streaks were eager for Wednesday’s season finale against their rivals after losing 39-30 the first time around.

“I’m really proud of our team, especially coming from last year we made a lot of progress,” said Bogott, who added three steals and three assists. “This year we’ve showed that we can win more games and we’re not going to be the easy team that people can come in here and just beat us. We have potential and we’ve really started to show it.”

Woodstock led from start to finish and took a 13-8 lead into the half as both team struggled to find their shot.

The Streaks led 22-14 about halfway through the third quarter and went on an 8-0 run to eventually push the lead to 32-20 going into the fourth.

Crenshaw, Woodstock’s tallest player at 6-foot-2, had a monster third quarter with six points, six rebounds and five blocks. That performance led to the Thunder (16-13, 9-5) looking for other ways to score.

“She’s just so disciplined,” Woodstock North coach Jay Justice said of Crenshaw. “We talk about it all the time, we don’t want to go in and challenge her because she is just going to block your shot. We really tried to design stuff away from her and honestly that was why we were able to score some more points.”

With more winning has come a lot more fun.

“Working together all four years with roughly the same girls, it’s cool to see how far we’ve come,” Crenshaw said. “We’ve really put in a lot of hard work to get here.”

Senior guard Natalie Morrow tossed in nine points and seven rebounds for Woodstock. Junior Lily Novelle added five points and four steals and senior Allie O’Brien posted 10 rebound and four assists.

“All five starters for us are really good basketball players,” Woodstock coach Jay Fuller said. “They all get along, and it’s just so much fun to watch them play. They know their roles and positions and they’re getting better and better.”

North was led in scoring by senior guard Caylin Stevens with a game-high 15 points and three 3-pointers. Seniors Addy Saunders and Bella Borta (six rebounds) each added five points in the loss.

Woodstock and Woodstock North both will compete in the Class 3A Woodstock Regional, starting Saturday. The No. 6-seeded Streaks host No. 8 Harvard in a first-round game, with the winner advancing to see No. 1 Crystal Lake Central in the semifinals. Fifth-seeded Woodstock North will meet No. 4 Burlington Central in the second semifinal.

“Whoever we see, they’ll play hard,” Fuller said of his team’s postseason chances. “They believe they can win the regional, and I believe them.”