Crystal Lake Central lets lead slip away, drops Northern Illinois Holiday Classic final to Wauconda

McHENRY – Crystal Lake Central never trailed in the first half against Wauconda on Thursday and felt good about its chances entering the third quarter.

The Tigers, dealing with some nagging injuries, got some extra time to rest and relax a little when the scoreboard stopped working to extend the time between halves. When it turned back on, however, it was the Bulldogs who took advantage.

Led by a spirited defense, Wauconda outscored Crystal Lake Central 16-3 in the third quarter to take its first lead. The Bulldogs then held off a late Tigers’ rally for a 49-45 win to capture the 14-team Northern Illinois Holiday Classic championship hosted by McHenry.

According to coach Jaime Dennis, it was Wauconda’s first time winning the tourney since 2011.

“They got up on us and we started pressing,” said Tigers coach Joe Capalbo, in his first season. “Their pressure bothered us, they were very physical. We turned the ball over in the second quarter I think 10 times. We just kind of lost composure with the ball, and that was really the game.”

Junior forward Ruby Macke, who missed the previous game with a quad injury, poured in 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the first quarter for Central (7-4), which built a 23-12 lead after a steal and score by senior guard Hadley Ferrero midway through the second quarter.

But Wauconda (10-1) closed out the half strong on a 9-2 run, which was sparked by a 3-pointer from senior Emma Wisniewski.

The Bulldogs' defense and physicality picked up in the third quarter with 5-foot-1 junior point guard Alexia Manalo swiping the ball away in the backcourt for a steal and score to give Wauconda its first lead at 28-27 with 3:50 left in the third quarter.

Manalo finished with 11 points and six steals, including seven and three, respectively, in the third quarter.

“I think we started playing to win instead of not to lose,” Manalo said. “We really just kicked it into gear. It’s been a trend this whole season. Second half, we come out big and we really show what we’re capable of.”

In the third quarter, Manalo had a nifty shot between two Tigers defenders under the basket. She later completed a three-point play after getting fouled.

“It’s just give 100% until I can’t anymore,” Manalo said.

Dennis said Manalo, despite being one of the smallest players on the court, plays big.

“Lex does all the things that normally don’t make it onto a stat sheet,” Dennis said. “She’s not a huge point getter. She’s our leader. She runs the floor, she knows what we’re doing, and she’s tougher than anybody on the court.”

Central, trailing 37-28 after three quarters, climbed back into the game with another big stretch from Macke (6-1), who tallied 10 points in the last eight minutes. She finished with a game-high 28 points, while senior forward Leah Spychala had nine points, seven rebounds and five steals. Ferrero chipped in six points, six steals and four assists.

Macke had a chance at tying the game with a good look under the basket with 10 seconds remaining but was unable to convert – one of the few up-close shots she missed all game.

“We just weren’t hustling as much, honestly,” said Macke, who missed Tuesday’s semifinal win over McHenry. “I think we got too comfortable. We were up by 10 and maybe felt like we didn’t have to worry. We let it slip and we just needed to be stronger with the ball. They were taking it from us.”

Wauconda, which has won seven games in a row since its only loss of the season (a 51-50 defeat to Marian Central on Dec. 4) was led in scoring by junior forward Kelsey Piehl with 14 points and eight rebounds. Wisniewski and Grace Parker both ended with eight points.

Wisniewski, one of three seniors on the team, said Thursday’s tournament championship gives the Bulldogs a bunch of confidence.

“We’re going to keep working hard because as a team we have a lot of goals,” Wisniewski said. “We want to win conference. We came super close last year. We’re so young, but so talented at the same time. I feel like we can go really far.”