Marengo looks to finish off 3rd straight KRC crown: Northwest Herald girls basketball notes

An overtime loss to Plano last week stung, but Marengo’s path to a third consecutive Kishwaukee River Conference championship is still clear.

With four conference games left the Indians still control their own destiny to lifting another KRC trophy. Marengo (14-12, 9-1 KRC) and Plano (22-3, 9-1) have identical conference records, with the teams splitting their regular-season series.

Marengo has KRC games left against Richmond-Burton, Johnsburg, Woodstock North and Sandwich, while Plano ends its KRC schedule with Johnsburg, Harvard, Sandwich and R-B.

Marengo got a boost Saturday with the return of 6-foot-2 senior forward Dayna Carr. Carr had been out with a knee injury since late December, while the Indians also have gone stretches without sophomore forward Macy Noe, sophomore point guard Maggie Hanson and senior guard Emilie Polizzi – all starters.

“We’ve been struggling the last few weeks to score, and some of that is just the ebbs and flows of the season. We haven’t had consistency because of injuries, illness and not being 100%,” Marengo coach Elisa Hanson said. “Going back to Plano, it’s a reminder that every possession matters. It’s going to be gutsy play, they’re going to come out hard and we’ve got to execute.”

Coach Hanson said Noe (5-11) has taken a big step forward. She tallied a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds Saturday.

“She’s just getting more and more confident with some of her offensive moves,” Hanson said. “When she was younger, she could just rely on her athleticism to get some buckets, but when you’re matched up against girls who are just athletic as you, you’ve got to work harder. She’s got to work on her individual moves, and she’s starting to do that. Working with our coaches and our post players, and getting experience with Dayna, just learning from each other has been a big help.”

Noe said the Indians finally feel like they are close to 100%.

“We just had to shake off [the Plano loss],” Noe said Saturday. “It’s not the end of the world. We just had to come out stronger. I’m really proud of our ability to bounce back.”

Macke attack: Crystal Lake Central junior forward Ruby Macke had a night to remember against crosstown rival Prairie Ridge on Friday, scoring a career-high 43 points in a 67-44 Fox Valley Conference win. Macke (6-foot) made 18 field goals and sank 7 of 9 free throws in the memorable performance.

Huntley senior guard Anna Campanelli had the area’s previous single-game high in points this year with 32 in a win against Boylan. Macke leads the Tigers at more than 20 points a game.

Hornets sweep Thunder: Harvard beat Woodstock North twice last week, winning 60-47 at home Monday and 40-33 on the road Saturday. Harvard entered the season with 46 consecutive KRC losses but are now 4-8 after also sweeping the season series against Richmond-Burton.

Harvard (14-12) had four straight seasons without a KRC win before this year, going 0-14 in 2024 and 0-10 every year from 2021-23. Harvard’s 14 wins this season are its most since a 15-13 record – its last winning season – in 1998.

In Saturday’s win over Woodstock North, Jackie Silva had 10 points, three steals and three assists, Ava Peceniak tallied nine points and Mayra Hyde had eight points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Hyde recently grabbed her 500th career rebound.

Skyhawks stay positive: Johnsburg tied a season low with 26 points in a loss to Marengo on Saturday, although the game was still competitive at halftime with the Indians holding a 14-13 lead.

Johnsburg freshman Summer Toussaint tallied a game-high 18 points, including all 13 points for her team at halftime. The Skyhawks have many first-time varsity players, so coach Erin Stochl isn’t worried about her team’s low offensive output.

Johnsburg (16-10, 6-3) still is among the top teams in the KRC and trails only Marengo and Plano in the standings.

“I know that the game ended up being a 20-point game, but it didn’t feel like that at all times,” Stochl said. “That first half was very competitive and back and forth, and I want to really focus on that first half. Look at the second and make adjustments, but remind the girls of that first half and how we were in the game and how we proved that we can compete.”

Stochl is confident in her team’s ability to bounce back. The Skyhawks' longest losing streak this year is two (three times).

“It’s just reminding the girls to be confident, to be ready so come game time they’re ready to knock down shots and make those plays,” Stochl said. “We have a lot of girls playing varsity basketball for the first time.

“I have a lot of confidence the girls can and will make those plays.”