Lady Apaches upset undefeated DuPage
By Kyle Nevins
The women’s basketball team scored a big win recently against the #1 team in the nation, the College of DuPage. The win improved the Lady Apaches’ record to 11- 9 and 3-2 in the conference.
On Jan. 22, the Apache women upset #1 ranked and undefeated DuPage 58-55.
Coach Steve Crick said, "This was the biggest win of the season and should be benchmark for the rest of the season. Now we feel we can beat anyone on our schedule and this win boosts our confidence for the rest of the season."
Jaci Bice led the Lady Apaches in scoring with 28 points (18 in the second half-), while Jamie Kromm, Stacy Niedzwicki and Monica Terando all had solid games.
On Jan. 18, the Lady Apaches were defeated by Carl Sandburg 76-65. Bice led the Lady Apaches with 22 points, while Niedzwicki added 18.
On Jan. 15, the Lady Apaches defeated Rock Valley 76-67. Bice led the team with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Three others were in double figures: Kromm (19 points), Nicole Oberle (17 points) and Niedzwicki (14 points).
Crick said, "We’ve just been emphasizing rebounding so much and now we’re starting to box out and are getting in the correct positions."
Coach Crick feels the team’s upcoming game against Highland, Jan. 27, should be close despite the fact that the game is there, and Crick said the team with home court advantage has at least a 10-point edge. The coach also predicted that Parkland (Jan. 29 here) and Black Hawk (Feb. 1 there) should be close.
With an 11-9 record at press time and the win over DuPage, Crick said he is confident about the rest of the season.
"The outcome of the game is going to depend on how we shoot, because we have no size and a lack of depth with only eight players on the team," he said. "We are a very well conditioned team and are very determined."
Crick said he is also happy with the balanced scoring of his team. Bice leads the nation in scoring (24.3 PPG), and three other Lady Apaches average in double figures.