Girls basketball: Woodstock North beats Johnsburg, clinches share of KRC championship

JOHNSBURG – Woodstock North took time to enjoy its 48-37 Kishwaukee River Conference-clinching win against rival Johnsburg, but the Thunder are hoping for an even bigger party.

Tuesday’s win against the Skyhawks clinched at least a share of the KRC title. A win in North’s final regular-season game Friday against Harvard would give the Thunder the championship outright for the first time in program history.

North (18-7, 8-1 KRC) shared the conference title with Marengo in 2020.

“If we do win it outright and we execute like we’re supposed to, then we get to cut down the nets,” senior guard Kalei Jones said. “That’s what we’re all looking forward to, getting to share that memory with each other.”

The Thunder had to overcome some big obstacles during the season, none bigger than losing Jones and senior Lacey Schaffter because of COVID-19 protocols. Coach Mike Lewis and the Thunder learned it would be without its top two scorers in a key KRC game against Marengo on Jan. 12, only a few hours before game time.

[ Photos: Woodstock North vs. Johnsburg girls basketball ]

North lost that game, 36-34, and fell to 1-1 in conference play. The Thunder, who were without Schaffter for five games, have won every KRC game since.

“Talk about battling through adversity,” Lewis said. “Losing that game put us at 1-1 [in the KRC] knowing we have to beat a great Johnsburg team twice and go into Marengo, get the win and get to where we are today. And they did it. It’s amazing. I can’t say enough good about these kids.”

As has been the case for much of the season, North got contributions from everyone who took the court Tuesday.

Schaffter led the team with 12 points, including 11 in the first half, while Gracie Zankle (two 3s) and Katelynn Ward (eight rebounds, five steals) each had 10 points. Avery Crabill had six points on two 3s, and Jones and Addison Rishling had five points apiece.

Trinity Tillman did not score but had two steals in the first quarter, which helped the Thunder race out to a 13-4 lead.

“When we lost to Marengo it was like a punch in the face,” Ward said. “We worked so hard to get back here. Our five-senior starting lineup has been together since elementary school. It’s really, really special because we’ve been together for so long. We’re like a family.”

One of the key moments in Tuesday’s game came after Johnsburg cut North’s lead to 29-26 with an eight-point run. The Skyhawks got 3s from Payton Toussaint and Gracie Notriano and another bucket from Bella Saxelby.

After a timeout, Schaffter hit one of two free throws. Rishling, a sophomore, grabbed the offensive rebound on the second missed free throw by Schaffter to keep the possession alive for North. She ended up making a 3 and also scored on the next possession to push North’s lead to 35-26.

“She is our Energizer Bunny that is out there at the front of the press, getting tips, giving us energy by her energy on the floor,” Lewis said. “When she scores, it’s gravy. And she came right in the game and hit a 3. You bring in a kid to make sure we’re putting more ball pressure on them, and she’s also scoring some big points. That’s huge.”

Johnsburg (15-13, 7-2) was led by senior forward Molly Wetzel with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Notriano tallied nine points, Saxelby had eight points and six rebounds, and Toussaint had six points on three 3s.

Johnsburg coach Erin Stochl was proud of her team for battling back after a slow start.

“We knew they were trying to take [Skyhawks leading scorer Macy Madsen] out of the game and limit her touches, so we were relying on other girls to step up and be scoring threats,” Stochl said. “I saw them have confidence and making the right reads. We went to overload on one side and they were doing a really good job with that.”

Jones and her teammates soaked in Tuesday’s win and look forward to one more possible celebration Friday.

“We’ve been working for this our whole season and it’s finally true,” Jones said. “Knowing we were playing for something, and playing for each other, most importantly, we wanted to say we won conference. It feels so good.”