To win its first Dundee-Crown tournament since 1996, Resurrection likely will have to knock off the area’s No. 1 and No. 2 girls basketball teams, Fenwick and Buffalo Grove.
At least the No. 10 Bandits got off to a good start Tuesday with a 52-43 victory over Fremd in the opening round. Their last loss was a 54-48 overtime disappointment against Fenwick on Nov. 25. Since that game Resurrection (12-2) has gone 9-0.
“I think we can win, yes,” Resurrection’s Deanna Ortiz said. “I think if we work hard and play our game we can win everything in the tournament and show people we’re tough enough to play the elite teams.”
The 5-foot-10-inch junior had an elite game with 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting, seven steals and five rebounds. Her teammate, 6-5 Claire Janusz, added eight points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. Devon Brinkmann’s 11 points led Fremd (3-11).
Resurrection’s next step is a quarterfinal game against No. 15 Maine West (13-1), which defeated the host school 49-30 behind Brittany Begrowicz’s 22 points and Caitlin Rehder’s 11.
Fenwick 79, Regina 26: Devereaux Peters played little more than half the game yet still finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in leading Fenwick over Regina (1-12). Alison Jackson added 19 for the Friars (12-0).
Propect 63, Rockton Hononegah 61: Prospect (8-5) held on to beat Hononegah behind Lindsay Gibbel’s 15 points and Margherite Bucci’s 14. Courtney Shelton scored 14 of her game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter for Hononegah (13-3).
Buffalo Grove 50, Stevenson 29: Buffalo Grove remained unbeaten at 13-0 behind Maggie Mocchi’s 20 points and twin Allison Mocchi’s 14. Caitlin Morrissey’s nine points led the Patriots (6-7).
Libertyville 77, Bartlett 49: Carol Kruckman had 25 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats (10-3).
Johnsburg, 54, Evanston 39: Without Michelle McDonald, No. 19 Johnsburg (11-2) got 19 points from Jenny Turpel and 16 from Paige Fiedorowicz to top Evanston (5-8), which got 15 from Danielle Retreage. McDonald recently learned she had a stress fracture in her left foot.
“After the New Trier game (in which she scored 16 points) it got worse,” said McDonald, who expects to be back in about three weeks. “So I got an MRI.”
New Trier 55, Naperville Cent. 42: Amy Jaeschke’s 24 points and eight rebounds led No. 11 New Trier (13-1) over Naperville Central (5-8). Kelley Hendrick’s 12 points led the Redhawks.
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asutton@tribune.com
