Girls Basketball: Andrew stings Sandburg
By Logan Malloy For Sun-Times Media November 27, 2012 10:42PM
Sandburg's Maria Karstens, left, and Andrew's Kelsy Lafin scramble after a loose ball in the third quarter Tuesday in Tinley Park. Mary Beth Nolan~For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: December 29, 2012 6:20AM
There’s no need to remind Andrew’s Tiana Karopulos of her school’s rivalry with Sandburg.
“Any time you beat Sandburg in any sport it’s a great feeling,” Karopulos said. “Coming out as a senior, it’s possibly the last time we’ll be playing them. You want to come out strong and put up a fight.”
Fight she did.
Karopulos hit visiting Sandburg for a game-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Andrew cruised to a 49-34 victory Tuesday night in a SouthWest Suburban crossover to remain unbeaten.
Molly Franson chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds and Kelsey Lafin added eight points and nine boards as Andrew (4-0) dominated the glass, outrebounding the Eagles (1-3) 39-23.
“One of our keys all season has been rebounding,” Karopulos said. “I’m really happy that every time we go out there we put up a fight for the boards.”
Andrew used two huge runs, starting with a 21-4 streak spanning the first and second quarters, to sit comfortably most of the game. Andrew then went on an 18-5 run in the third quarter for a 38-20 advantage.
Franson put her mark on the game during that second run, dishing two assists to Lafin and scoring a pair of her own from under the basket.
“We knew coming in this year we were going to be a small team and rebounding would be key,” Sandburg coach Chris Hellrung said. “I thought we played hard, but when we’re not hitting shots, we’re going to need to play a perfect game to beat a team like that.”
Sandburg, down 21-6 in the second quarter, went on a 7-0 run to close the half thanks to a pair of Carly Katalinic (6 points) assists and a three-pointer from Maria Karstens as time expired. The Eagles cut the lead to six early in the third quarter, as close as they would get.
