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Sports

Trojans' Advance to Sectional Championship Game

Straumann scores 19 while Jakubicek adds 15 as Cary moves on to first sectional title game since 2001 with 57-37 win over Huntley in Jacobs Sectional

Tuesday night was an opportunity for Cary-Grove’s girls’ basketball team to do something the program had not done in a decade.

With a win over Fox Valley Conference rival Huntley in the IHSA Class 4A Jacobs Sectional semifinals, the Trojans would play for a sectional title for the first time since 2001.

Cary came out a bit slow but turned it up as the game went on and used a 20-2 run in the second half to defeat the Red Raiders 57-37.

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The Trojans will play Geneva, who defeated Hononegah 70-60 in Tuesday's other semfinal in Thursday night’s title game at 7:30 p.m. Geneva defeated Cary in last season's sectionals to end the Trojans' season.

After both teams had trouble scoring early, C-G (27-3) went on a 9-0 run to take an 11-3 lead and led 13-7 after one quarter as Meg Straumann scored seven points in the opening eight minutes.

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Cary started the second on a 6-2 run to lead 17-7 before Huntley cut the Cary lead in half, pulling to within five at 22-17 midway through the quarter. Cary would be able to extend their lead back to nine by the half at 30-21.

In the second half, Cary opened up a 12-point lead before the Red Raiders made their way back into the game. After a Carly Goede three-pointer that completed a 9-0 Huntley lead, the Cary lead was down to just three.

From that point forward, it was all Cary-Grove, scoring 13 straight points and 25 of the last 30 points of the game to move on to Thursday night.

Straumann scored 19 points to lead Cary while Claire Jakubicek, who did not have a field goal until late in the third quarter, added 15 and Paige Lincicum had ten to complete the three Trojans in double figures.

Straumann said that coach Rod Saffert had told the team’s outside shooters that they were going to need to step up.

“Claire has given them fits so we knew they were going to send people flying at her,” Straumann said. “Saffert told us perimeter guys to be ready so we just tried to do that. If we are going to score 50-0 on the inside, then it‘s going to be 50-0 on the inside and if not, we‘ll just have to do it from the outside.”

Saffert said that Straumann’s performance is one he would like to see more often.

“She took over and once she believes she can do that every game because she really can, it’s fun to watch games like that,” Saffert said. “She knows she can do those things every game if she wants to.”

Straumann and Jakubicek also each advanced in the three-point contest and can earn a trip to state in that event on Thursday night.

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