Girls Basketball: Sandburg takes down Stagg

Updated: February 14, 2012 10:13PM

Sandburg’s 47-27 victory over Stagg in Tuesday night’s Class 4A Stagg Regional semifinal was a two-fold tale.

Carly Katalinic beat the Chargers at their own game by nailing three three-pointers and scoring 13 points.

Kristen Bailey beat them at a game they didn’t have, dominating inside with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Sandburg (16-12) will meet Homewood-Flossmoor (22-6) in Thursday’s regional final.

A fourth-quarter scare saw Stagg senior Maggie Yandel, who took a headlong spill into a padded wall early in the period but returned to the game a couple of minutes later, crumple to the floor with 2:30 remaining after another collision. Yandel, who didn’t appear to lose consciousness, was put on a stretcher wearing a neck brace after 20 minutes of attention and taken to Palos Community Hospital.

“I think she’s going to be fine,” Stagg coach Bill Turner said. “Everything looked good. She was talking and the trainer said she had feeling everywhere.”

Sandburg was able to seize control of the game in the second period behind the inside rebounding and scoring of the 5-foot-11 Bailey. Up 23-11 at halftime, Catalinic bombed for her second and third threes of the night as the Eagles eased away in the third quarter.

Stagg (19-7), which heavily relies on its perimeter game, struggled mightily shooting-wise, going just 3-of-23 from beyond the arc. One of the threes was in the final few seconds.

The Eagles, who beat Stagg on opening night at the Hinsdale South Thanksgiving Tournament, were subdued winners, more concerned with Yandel’s condition than celebrating.

“It’s a really sobering thing,” Bailey said. “The game was going on, and it just kind of freaked me out to turn and look at her and she was on the ground.

“Your heart goes out to the Stagg team. I can’t imagine if it was someone on our team.”

No. 3 H-F 48, T.F. South 24: Candace Hicks had 15 points and seven rebounds and Jaiveonna Norris 11 points and six rebounds for H-F.

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