DIVISION III GIRLS Crestview, Brookfield cruise

Junior Chelsie McCall tied the Rebels' school record with six 3-pointers.
BY ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HANOVERTON -- For a quarter, Crestview High's Chelsie McCall couldn't miss even if she wanted to.
The junior hit six 3-pointers in the first half, including five in a row in the second quarter, as Crestview built a commanding 49-16 halftime advantage en route to a 80-35 victory over Campbell in a Division III sectional final at United High on Saturday night.
Crestview will face Brookfield in a district semifinal March 2 in the late game of the doubleheader.
Brookfield beat Girard 53-42 in the second sectional final on Saturday.
McCall finished the game with 24 points and tied teammate Brianne Phillis' single-game school record with six 3-pointers.
Visibly fatigued after her barrage in the second quarter, McCall missed her only two 3-point attempts in the second half.
"I just wanted to pass out," said McCall as she drank a bottle of water. "I was just throwing the ball up and they just kept going in. There was no one guarding me, and my teammates were passing me the ball, so I kept shooting. It was an awesome feeling.
"Our passing was great in the first quarter and we got off to a great start. We love to get ahead by a lot and then just have fun. Even though I didn't break the record, I'm just happy that we won and I still have another year left next year."
Good defense
Crestview's defense was tenacious in the early going. The Rebels forced seven Campbell turnovers and grabbed a dozen steals in the first quarter to seize momentum.
After Campbell Sophia Brown scored the game's opening basket, Crestview exploded for a 19-0 run and built a 28-4 lead after the first quarter.
That kind of start was just what Crestview coach Tanja Simione was looking for.
"We stayed with the game plan we've preached all season and that's play tough defense," said Simione. We came out strong and forced some turnovers and got some steals. Then we scored in transition and got things going offensively."
Four players scored in double figures for Crestview. Junior Elyse Mongillo finished with 19 points, including 13 in the first quarter. Phillis, the team's lone senior added 15, while freshman Chelsea Bowker scored 14.
Brookfield-Girard
Brookfield advanced to the district semifinals for the second straight year, using strong play in the middle two quarters to pull away. Sophomore Morgan Bonekovic scored a game-high 27 points for the Warriors.
Brookfield rallied from a lackluster first quarter during which it owned just an 8-7 advantage, to outscore Girard 34-17 in the second and third quarters combined.
Girard trailed 26-16 at the half and trimmed the deficit to nine points early in the third quarter. But Brookfield put together a 16-7 outburst to take control and pull away.
Bonekovic hit a pair of free throws with 45 seconds left in the third period to extend Brookfield's advantage to 42-22.
"We wanted to get out to a fast start, but I think not playing for eight days affected us offensively," said Brookfield coach Shawn Hammond. "But our defense stepped it up, we got some transition points and Morgan was more aggressive.
"They did a good job doubling down on her, but once she was more aggressive, we started getting things going offensively. This is a pretty competitive tournament down here, but we've done OK so far the last two years."
Third-seeded Brookfield will take on No. 2 seed Crestview in the second game of Thursday's district semifinals doubleheader. Top-seeded Ursuline will face unseeded Springfield in the opening contest.