Girls basketball: Providence’s pressure too much for Glenbard East in Sandburg Tourney opener

ORLAND PARK – No matter who was on the floor for Providence in Monday night’s 46-24 win over Glenbard East in the opening round of the Sandburg Holiday Classic, the Celtics played a tough, in-your-face style of man-to-man defense.

That relentless pressure on the ball resulted in Providence (8-6) limiting the Rams (9-6) to single digits in three of the four quarters, including allowing only 10 points in the second half.

“That’s normally the style we want to play,” said Providence’s Annalise Pietrzyk, who led all scorers with 27 points and added a team-high eight rebounds. “Everyone bought in tonight, and we went out there and put pressure on them.”

That pressure forced seven Rams turnovers in the first quarter, and Glenbard East managed only one basket by Catey Carney (14 points) in the first quarter. Pietrzyk turned a steal into a layup for the game’s first bucket, then assisted on a basket by Isabella Morey before Carney got East on the board with a driving basket. Providence closed the quarter with a basket by Pietrzyk and a 3-pointer from Sydney Spencer. Spencer, who’s 5-6, chipped in with seven rebounds on the night and was one of the main catalysts for the defensive effort.

“Sydney is tough,” Providence coach Eileen Copenhaver said. “She’s not real tall, but she will get in there and mix it up with people. And, most nights, she gets to guard the other team’s toughest player.”

Providence threatened to turn it into a rout early in the second quarter when Molly Knight (6 points) and Pietrzyk hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 15-2 lead, but Glenbard East responded with a 12-3 spurt of its own to end the second quarter and headed into halftime trailing 18-14. Carney had six of the Rams’ points during the run.

Pietrzyk opened the second half by hitting a pair of free throws, but a 3-pointer banked in by Carney cut the Celtics’ lead to 20-17.

Providence, however, had an answer. In triplicate.

Pietrzyk hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Knight followed with another. Suddenly, a one-possession game turned into a 12-point Celtic advantage and they never looked back.

“We just thought they were getting too close,” Pietrzyk said. “We had to step up our game, and we did. Everyone played really well tonight.”

Copenhaver agreed with Pietrzyk.

“We had one bad quarter in the second,” Copenhaver said. “Then, the third didn’t start great. But once the girls saw the ball go through the net on our side it relaxed them. Annalise opened things up by hitting a couple of 3s, and the kids did a real nice job on defense all night.”

After falling behind 34-20 entering the fourth quarter, the offensive frustration continued for the Rams as they scored only two more baskets, one by Carney and one by Ciara Johnson.

“We talked about it after the game,” East coach Nicole Miller said. “We got it close, and that was a critical moment of the game. Then they hit three straight 3s and it shifted. Providence is a good team. They play that pressure defense very well. That’s why we play in these tournaments, to see good teams and different styles of play.

“We had a tough time getting any rhythm. We needed more offensive consistency, but Providence was very disruptive and created a lot of havoc for us.”