Young teams show improvement

The present is bright. And judging by the current group of underclassmen, the future looks even brighter on the area girls basketball scene.

Granted, no team right now is a lock to get to Redbird Arena. But a handful of area squads have all shown promise with the potential for more memorable moments to come.

The Christmas tournament season wasn't a particularly kind one to nearly all of the 16 teams in The Courier News coverage area. Still, eight teams remain standing with a record of .500 or better entering the New Year.

The common theme among the area's elite teams has been balanced scoring. Sure, the top teams have their individual stars, but its those unsung heroes that often determine the outcome of a close game -- and carry a team on a long run through the postseason.

The trick is consistency and the desire to want to get better each day.

St. Charles North, Hampshire, St. Charles East, Jacobs, South Elgin and St. Edward have all been able to rely on multiple contributions to achieve varied degrees of success the first half of the season. Each of the aforementioned teams have shown the ability to be able to survive even if its main scorer is having an "off night."

Senior Kelsey Smith is the big name that jumps out on St. Charles North's roster, but the North Stars won't get far in the state tournament without continued key contributions from junior guard Kiley Hackbarth, senior guard Anna Conrad and a cast of role players that includes senior Alex Messacar, juniors Jenna Bell and Dana Sibley and sophomore Sydney Russell.

The same is true for Hampshire, St. Charles East, Jacobs, South Elgin and St. Edward.

Like North, all five of those squads can generally count on consistent scoring from one individual -- junior Chrissy Heine (Hampshire), junior Lexi Baltes (SCE), senior Maria Tamburrino (Jacobs), freshman Becca Smith (South Elgin) and senior Katie Yohn (St. Edward) -- but steady production from the rest of the starting lineup and bench has been the real secret ingredient.

Bartlett and Huntley -- both 7-7 overall at the midway point -- appear to be just below in the next tier of teams still coming together. Burlington Central is another.

On the flip side, there are a handful of teams still searching for an identity. And some of those squads might be searching longer than others.

Things have not started out so hot for teams like Dundee-Crown (2-13), Elgin (3-10), Larkin (1-9), Streamwood (3-11) and Westminster Christian (2-7). However, not every team can afford to base success on its final record. Elgin has already tripled last year's win total, while Streamwood and Westminster Christian are both within one victory of surpassing that feat.

1. St. Charles North (10-4) -- No other area team entered the season with any bigger expectations than the North Stars, who returned four starters from last year's Super-Sectional squad. So far, the North Stars haven't disappointed, but they've yet to record a signature victory. A favorite for the Upstate Eight Conference title along with Lake Park.

2. Hampshire (11-2) -- The Whips have two quality losses (Peoria Woodruff, Jacobs) and appear to be in line to repeat as Big Northern Conference East Division champs. On the whole, Hampshire is undersized but the Whips play big with a scrappy frontline that includes senior Kelsey Watson, juniors Chrissy Heine and Cassie Dumoulin and sophomore Alex Dumoulin, among others.

3. St. Edward (11-5) -- Senior Katie Yohn remains the area's most feared scorer, but St. Edward has shown it is more than just a one-woman band this season. Freshmen Callie Johnson and Madeline Kerr, along with sophomore Vincenza Ranallo, junior Kristi Knott and senior Angie Cortez have had their moments.

4. Jacobs (12-5) -- The Golden Eagles graduated one of the area's best in Markie Rahn, but also welcomed back a handful of experienced players in seniors Sam Vojtsek, Keri Bultman, as well as talented juniors Maria Tamburrino, Katy Cook and Hailey Cnota, among others.

5. St. Charles East (9-4) -- Lately, juniors Jaime Rust and Kara Schnier have stepped up to provide additional scoring with senior Natasha Lalos and junior Lexi Baltes.

6. South Elgin (10-6) -- The Storm has vaulted up the pecking order in the Upstate Eight Conference this season. The team's strong senior class includes one of the area's top centers, Cortney Kumerow, as well as Genevieve Johnson and Kaleigh Irwin. Freshman Becca Smith, who is averaging 17 points her last 12 games, has by far been the area's top newcomer.

7. Bartlett (7-7) -- Whatever the Hawks do this year is gravy. Bartlett has a bright future, led by underclassmen Jacki Gulczynski (sophomore) and Ashley Santos (freshman).

8. Huntley (7-7) -- The senior-led Red Raiders have the ability to be a worthy opponent on any given night, but finding consistency has been difficult. Huntley has three losses by five points or less.

9. Burlington Central (6-8) -- Rockets have had to deal with injuries to key players Molly Turk (senior) and Jordan Maisto (junior).

10. Genoa-Kingston (6-6) -- Cogs junior Molly Meier is one of the area's most underrated point guards.

11. Elgin (3-10) -- Maroons currently mired in six-game losing streak.

12. Streamwood (3-11) -- Sabres sophomore Emma Schmidt has averaged 13 points last six games.

13. Elgin Academy (4-3) -- Hilltoppers off to solid start under first-year coach Vicente Pena.

14. Westminster Christian (2-7) -- Junior Rachel Doby averages an area-best 11.2 rebounds per game.

15. Dundee-Crown (2-13) -- Seniors Melissa Summaria and Alex Lococo have paced the Chargers.

16. Larkin (1-9) -- Senior Jessica Harris had a season-high 23 points vs. South Elgin.