The Lady Knights finished the first half of the season 9-4 and are still in the hunt to retain their SPC Conference crown with a 5-2 conference record. Positioned nicely for their second straight 20 win season the Knights found scoring points a premium at times. With one lone exception if the Knights scored more than 40 points they won and if they scored less than 40 points the lost.

Also the Knights found that if they ran the court they won and when they played a half court offense they usually lost.

Of the four loses only one (Marian Central) was a blowout as the Knights just played a bad game against a good team. Their next biggest lost in a non-conference game came against Sycamore which they revenged by beating the Spartans in their next two meetings. The Knights get another crack at Lemont and Riverside-Brookfield whom they lost to by 6 and 5 points respectively in the second half of the season.

Leading the Knights in scoring is Andrea Schuppner and Stephanie Schramer averaging 9.5 points a game. Emily Kresse is averaging 5.8 points, Shari Wenz 5.1 and Alex Self 4.5. Traci Genslinger has the best shooting percentage hitting half of her 14 shots for .500. Wenz is second with .448, Lynda Gould is .429 on 21 attempts and the only other Knight shooting over .400 is Schuppner at .415.

The 3-point leaders are Schuppner hitting 15-of-44, Schramer 6-of-22 and Ana Miller 2-of-16. Nobody else has made than 1. The leading rebounder is Emily Kresse with 58. Schuppner has 43, Wenz 41, and Elizabeth Kresse 36.

The steal leader is Self with 36, followed by Wenz with 25 and Schuppner with 24. Self has 40% of team's assist with 47. The next best is just 13. Emily Kresse is leading in blocked shots with 14, Schuppner has 6 and Wenz 5.

The Knights are shooting .374 from the field hitting 27% of their 3's. Free throw shooting, the teams Achilles heal, is below .500 at .495. The team averaged 46.6 points a game over the first half and are averaging 27.7 rebounds and 11 steals a game.

The Knights have just 11 regular season games left. Nine are conference games as they play each conference team again, plus Yorkville twice the only conference team they did not play in the first half.

The first half of the season found Coach Dennis Hansen doing a lot of experimenting trying to find the right combinations. At times the team looked out of sync and at other times they looked unbeatable. Going into the Genoa-Kingston Tournament the Sun Times had the Knights ranked 5th in class A, despite three loses. However, in their most discouraging lose of the year to Marian the Knights have temporarily dropped out of the rankings.

The second half shapes up to be very interesting, as a strong finish could lead to another conference championship and propel the Knights into reaching their final goal - The Final Sweet Sixteen in March.

The sophomore Lady Knights had a rough start to the season winning just two of their first 12 games. However, they did win their last game of the century to break a 10 game losing streak. The junior Lady Knights expect a much better second half.

This thing was close all the way, but in the end the 10-4 Knights beat the 6-6 Westmont Sentinels 50-47. But it wasn't until the final gun before the Knights who looked like they were sleep walking could count this one in the win column.

In the first quarter Kaneland led by three, 15-12. But by half time it was tied at 26 each. At the end of three Westmont owned the lead 38-36, but in the last quarter the Knights came back and despite trying to stall with 3:30 on the clock with a 6-point lead, hung on for the win.

Stephanie Schramer had a terrific night hitting 8-of-10 shoots for 18 points. Emily Kresse helped with 13 points and senior point guard Alex Self added 7 more.

Emily Kresse, Elizabeth Kresse and Lynda Gould had 4 rebounds each and Self always the playmaker had 6 assists to go along with a pair of steals.

The sophomores started out the second half of the season with a bang. Against a team they just barely beat in overtime the first time they met, this time the Knights got their biggest win of the year downing the Sentinels 40-22. The Knights out scored Westmont 33 to 9 in the second half in their most impressive showing of the year.

The Kaneland girls needed a win at Lemont big time to keep in the conference championship hunt and to revenge an earlier lost at home to the Injuns. This was another measuring stick on how far they have progressed from earlier in the year when they met the Injuns and lost by 4 points. Unfortunately they left their offense back in Maple Park at they were out scored this time by nine, 36-27.

The Knights gave a dismal offensive display. Despite playing well when they weren't shooting (they turned the ball over only 8 times), the Knights couldn't hit the broad side of a barn this night against a very solid Lemont defense.

Check out these numbers for your crying towel. The leading Knight scorer had 5 points (even the official scorer had an off night as he had Emily Kresse with 7 points). Kresse actually shared the team lead with Andrea Schuppner. Both had just one basket. As a matter of fact only two players had more than one basket for the Knights.

Outside of Alex Self who was 2-for-4, the Kaneland starters shot a dismal 5-for-38! Or to put it in perspective, they made about 1 of every 8 shoots. The Knights were 1-of-14 shooting threes and in the first half made only 5 of 15 at the free throw line.

They scored just 4 points in the first quarter and only 5 points in the second quarter not even reaching double figures by half time. Their big quarter was the third period when they managed 11 points and trailed Lemont by just 2 going into the final quarter, 22-20. But after tying the game at 22 apiece the Knights quite scoring again and managed only 5 points in the last seven minutes of the game.

But enough - you get the picture.

The Knights now 10-5 for the season and 6-3 in the conference have 9 more games to get their shooting eye back before the playoffs.

The sophomores biggest quarter of the night was the first and last when they scored 5 points. If you thought that was tough you should have sat through the the second and third quarters when they managed just 2 points in each. When the smoke had cleared the Jr. Knights were on the back end of a 35-14 score as they ended their one game winning streak.

The Lady Knights continue to play hide-and-seek with their offense. As for the second game in a row the Knights couldn't break 30 points. As a result the Lady Foxes managed to do in the Knights 31-29 to take a commanding lead for the conference championship.

"When you give up only 31 points you should win," said coach Dennis Hansen. "Right now we are just a bad shooting team. We can't make an open shot and we can't make a free throw.

"As bad as we played offensively we still could have won".

The team is playing solid defense allowing only two teams to score more than 44 points. The Starting unit when not pressured doesn't turn over the ball and Knights rebounding is usually good enough to win. When they run they look like female globetrotters, but they stop running - they stop scoring.

Yorkville, which came into this game 12-6 and 7-1 in the conference, has been playing good basketball beating everybody over their last 11 games. The knights knew they had to play a good game to come home with a win and to that end they did if you forget about the offense.

They scored 8 points in the first 6 minutes then where held to a single basket by reserve point guard Stacy Blatner just before halftime. The good news was they held the powerful Foxes to just 13 points in the first half - just three more than the Knights.

In the third quarter the Foxes opened up 7 point led as the Knights managed just 4 points while Yorkville got 8. With five minutes to play and trailing 23-19 with the game ready to slip away from the Knights, Shari Wenz made a three point play with a basket and a foul. She then followed that with the Knights first three-pointer of the night, putting the Knights ahead for the first time since the middle of the first quarter 25-23.

With 4 minutes to play the Foxes came right back with 5 straight free throws but Andrea Schuppner hit a big three to tie it up at 28-28 with 2 minutes to play. The Foxes came right back with a bucket and Wenz hit one of two free throws to bring the Knights to within one with 1:03 to play. But that was as close as the Knights could get, as they could not score anymore.

Schuppner and Wenz lead the Knights with 9 and 7 points respectively. Emily Kresse had 8 rebounds. The Knights out shot the Foxes with 50 field goal attempts to 39. But Kaneland only made 24% of their shots and shoot a miserable 3-of-13 from the line.

Oh yes, if anyone can find the Knights offense please let coach Dennis Hansen know.

The sophomores came from behind to tie the score at 34-34 when Becky Delaney hit a three point shot from the top of the arch with just 17.8 seconds left in the game. But with 10.5 left the Knights fouled the Jr. Foxes and they sunk both free throws. The Knights got off the tieing shot just before the buzzer sounded, but it fell of the rim, as Kaneland sophomores did themselves proud despite losing, 36-34.

It's the same Ole Song. And for the third straight game the Knights defense was good enough to win, while the offense continues to stutter as the 13-8 Mustangs from Evergreen Park beat the Knights 34-32.

"This is frustrating," says Hansen. "We can't seem to do anything to make the ball go in the basket. We've done the same thing in the last three games."

Frustrating it is, with the Knights field goal average dropping to just above .300 as the team shoots mostly jump shots. The transition attempts (fast breaks) have dropped to less than one per quarter and nobody has scored in double figures in the last games.

"If you don't make your shoots you don't win," said Hansen.

In this one the Knights scored just 5 points in the first quarter and six in the second. They trailed the entire game once they fell behind 2-1. With 5:30 to play they trailed 30-23. But with 1:05 left they had cut the difference to two, 34-32. They then had three possession to score but their Achilles heal came back to bite them as they couldn't find the bottom of the net.

The leading scorers were Stephanie Schramer and Shari Wenz with 6 points each. Lynda Gould added 5 more. Wenz had 6 rebounds and Andrea Schuppner and Lynda Gould had 5 each. Schuppner had 6 steals.

The Knights have a ton of talent. Their defense is fine. Rebounding and turnovers are more irritating when you're not scoring, but aren't a major problem. They just need to generate more points. They got seven games left in the regular season and maybe they can turn this thing around before they enter the playoffs.

Last time the sophomores played the Mustangs they blew a 18 point second half lead to lose in the last minute. This time they fell behind early 16-6 and could never get any closer than their final score - 41-35.

Sycamore 54 - Kaneland 30, need anymore be said?

Maybe this is the beginning of a new Lady Knights team as they got off to a 14-2 first quarter lead to take home their first victory in 5 games with a convincing 45-29 win over the Riverside-Brookfield Bulldogs.

Even though the Knights weren't running, they did manage to get the ball inside as the Kaneland centers took 23 shots. Kaneland guards meanwhile where busy dishing the ball in low and took only 8 shots.

The Knights defense was a strong as normal not allowing the Bulldogs to score more than 12 points a quarter while holding them to just 29 points for the game. The Knights did a good job handling the ball too as the Kaneland starters turned the over only 8 times. It was a good all around effort.

The Knights had a well balanced scoring attack with Emily Kresse ringing up 11 points on 15 shots and 9 boards, Andrea Schuppner going 4-for-5 for 8 points, Shari Wenz going 4-for-6 for 8 points, Lynda Gould with 6 points all in the first half and Stephanie Schramer 6 points all in the last 4 minutes. Traci Genslinger who hit two back-to-back in-close shots in the middle of final quarter to ice the game for the Knights had 4 points.

Forty-five points, inside scoring, balanced attack, good ball handling, solid defense against a team that beat them 50-45 the first time they met, could be the signs of a team that is ready to turn it on!

The sophomores had the lead 36-33 and the ball with just 13 seconds to play. But on the inbounds play they had the ball stolen and the Bulldogs hit a three to send the game into overtime. In OT the Knights could only get off one shot as they were out scored 4-zip to find themselves on the short side of a 40-36 final score.

This was a good one for the Lady Knights as they won back to back games for the first time this century beating the Marengo Indians by a convincing score of 54-26.

The Knights started out running against a team that had problems with the their full court press and before the the quarter was half over Kaneland had a 8-0 advantage. By the end of the quarter the Knights were up 13-6. They then out scored the Indians 10-4 in the second quarter, mostly on transition baskets.

It was a fun first half for the home fans as the defense stopped the Indians cold forcing numerous turnovers. They pushed the ball up the court often times catching the Indians flat footed. They were back to running and gunning.

The second half was a different story though as the Knights quit pushing the ball and went to their set offence and as a result the Indians played the Knights even in the third quarter. However, in the fourth quarter the Knights worked the inside almost to perfection, out scoring their opponent 17-4.

But the highlight of the night came in the last minute of play when Tabitha Buchwald swished a jump shot from the top of the key for her first points of the season.

The Knights again showed balance scoring as 12 girls scored. One player had double figurers - Andrea Schuppner who had 10 as she spent the evening rediscovering her jump shot. Stephanie Schramer had 7 points, Alex Self 6, Ana Miller 5, Lynda Gould 5, Jamie Fitzpatrick 4, Emily Kresse 4 and Shari Wenz 4.

After 20 games the Knights are 12-8 with four regular season games left. Although Marengo isn't the strongest team the Knights have seen this season, the way the Knights pushed the ball in the first half and played an inside game in the final quarter indicated they may be getting their motor running for the playoffs.

The sophomores took it on the chin again as the Marengo Indians beat them, 36-29. The Knights fell behind 12-4 in the first quarter, played the Indians even up from there but could not climb out the hold they dug early in the game. The Jr. Lady Knights are now 3-16 on the season.

The Lady Knights got their third win a row and their third "W" of the week as they beat the Ridgewood Rebels for the second time this season 41-32.

However, despite the win the Knights offense is still far from being a well oiled machine, as they scored 13 less points than the last time these two meet earlier in the season. They started off each half depending on the jump shot. Outside of a Alex Self's transition lay-up attempt the Knights shot nothing but jump shots in the first quarter. In the third quarter the Knights shot only jump shots. At times the Knights (and the Rebels also for that matter), seemed to be content to just pass the ball around the perimeter.

As a result the Knights could not pull away from the Rebels who had only 9 players and by halftime Kaneland was up by just one, 18-17.

Midway through the third quarter with the score still close at 20-19, Andrea Schuppner and Ana Miller hit Kaneland's only three's of the game, back-to-back, and the Knights had finally opened up a sizable lead. One they maintained for the rest of the game.

Again the Knights scoring was spread out. Andrea Schuppner led the Knights with 9 points. Shari Wenz had 7, Stephanie Schramer and Jamie Fitzpatrick had 6 each and Emily Kresse and Ana Miller added 5 apiece. Kresse pulled down 6 boards and Schramer 5.

The Knights are now 13-8 with three regular season games left.

The sophomores played their most impressive game of the season with a solid win over the Rebels of Ridgewood 47-32. They opened up a 32-18 lead midway through the third quarter and coasted home from there. They out scored the Rebels in every quarter. With just three games left the Jr. Lady Knights are 4-16 on the season.

The good news is the Knights scored 57 points - their highest offensive output of the year 2000 to gain their fourth win in a row. The bad news is they gave up 42 points to Elmwood Park which isn't really a very good team. But a win is a win, as the Knights beat Elmwood Park Tigers, 57-42.

The Tigers came to Kaneland with just 8 players - over half of them freshman. EP this year is finding victories hard to come by, but in two or three years they should be the King of the conference.

However, against such a young team the Knights offense could only score 21 points in the first half. This was mostly because the home team continued to rely on the outside jump shot. All but six shots in the first half where from around the three point arch. Of the six close in shots, three came from offensive rebounds.

In the second half Kaneland showed more offensive movement as they rang up 36 points in the half.

The Knights defense was really pretty good for the first three quarters as they allowed only 7 points in each of them. But, in a sloppy fourth quarter they gave up 21 points.

Ana Miller lead the Knights with 13 points off three 3-point shots. Stephanie Schramer added 10 more going 4-for-4 from the line. Shari Wenz had 9 points and Emily Kresse added 7, as 11 Kaneland players scored. The foursome grabbed 4 rebounds each to lead the team in boards too.

Two tiger players scored 37 of EP's 42 points.

The Knights are now 14-8 and there are no easy teams left.

The sophomores Lady Knights got back-to-back wins for the first time the season as they beat the Tigers 40-24. It was the second convincing win in a row. The Knights scored only 1 point in the third quarter, but a 23 to 10 half time lead had given them a big enough advantage to withstand one bad quarter. They finished strong with 16 points in the final quarter.

"Holly animal crackers Batman", the Knights are back! Playing their first tough game in two weeks the Knights showed signs of a polished team on their way to the Big Dance as they beat the Burlington Central Rockets by 10, 45-35.

The Knights played a tenacious defence against a team that was 19th ranked, had a 7-game winning streak and had an impressive 16-6 record. But after a sluggish start the Knights got rolling and took the lead at 17-15 midway through the second quarter. They never looked back.

The story of the game was the way the Knights finally played the basketball they are capable of. And most everyone played their role to perfection. Andrea Schuppner found her jump shot going 7-for-8 with a three to lead the Knights with 15 points while grabbing 7 boards. Shari Wenz worked inside going 4-for-4 on inside baskets for 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Emily Kresse stopped anyone coming into the lane with 6 blocked shots and 7 points. And guards Stephanie Schramer and and Alex self (who was playing with a bad right wrist) dished off 8 assist between them to run the offense.

"We're playing our best right now and things are coming together," said coach Dennis Hansen.

Earlier in the season the Knights just got by the Rockets 42-39. From there the two teams took different paths. The Rockets moved on the play solid basketball and become ranked in the state with a solid chance to win the conference. Meanwhile, the Knights struggled going 7-8 for the next 15 games as Coach Hansen tried different combinations.

Finally, near the end of January, the team started to play a little better and won their next four games. But the competition wasn't that strong. Then came the Rockets. There was no more revolving door of substitutions as this was one the Knights needed to win to propel them into the season finale and the playoffs. Players where able to get into the flow of the game and in return the Knights responded with some quality play.

So, with the resulting solid win against a very solid team tacked on to the previous four wins, it can now be said, "The Knights are back!"

And just in time.

The sophomores Lady Knights ended their two game winning streak despite leading by 5 points late into the game. Trailing 30-25 with just three minutes to play the Knights followed the script from previous close games as they kept turning the over under pressure. Burlington Central went on to scored 5 unanswered points to tie the game 30-30 with a minute to play. A pair of BC free throws off Kaneland turnovers put the Rockets ahead by 2. Then with 14 seconds to play the Knights took a 3-point shot, despite a open Katrina Kainz under the basket, and missed! Rockets 32 - Knights 30.

It was Senior night, it was the last game of the regular season, it was the last home game for five girls, it was against Yorkville, and it was the defining moment for the Foxes who were to become the SPC conference champions, and it was noisy.

The Foxes came to Kaneland to win the conference championship, just like the Knights did last year when they won the conference on Yorkville's home court in the final game of the season.

to view a video of the end of the 1999 game and the celebration.

But this year was different and Foxes took it the Knights for the second time this year, 48-41.

For five girls it was a sad night as they played their last game in the gym they had become so accustom to. Alex self who started nearly 50 varsity games on her home court (all at point guard) had to say good-bye. Elizabeth Kresse had to watch from the sidelines as her knees would not let her play anymore. Andrea Schuppner who scored so many points with her long jump shots clearing the orange metal said farewell. Jamie Fitzpatrick who worked for every rebound and played defense as it should be played said bye. And Trici Genslinger who became the "The Stopper in the middle" made her final start. For all five it was their final view of the wooden court with the "K" in the middle, while wearing their silver and black uniforms.

Both teams got off to a very slow start as the Knights managed just 3 points in quarter. Yorkville had just 6. By half time the Knights were down 18-13. But the Kaneland came charging back scoring 12 of the next 14 points to take a 25-20 lead. The game became tied at 30 apiece. Then the Foxes took it to the Knights with a pair of three's sandwiched around a 3-point play ending the third quarter with the Knights down 39-30.

In the fourth quarter Kaneland could never get any closer than four, as the Foxes became champions.

Kaneland again showed they could spread the scoring around with Andrea Schuppner ringing up 9 points, Shari Wenz and Alex Self 8 points, and Stephanie Schramer, Emily Kresse and Lynda Gould having 5 points each. Kresse had 5 boards and two blocked shots, Gould had 5 rebounds and Schuppner 4.

The Knights finished the season 15-9 and won 5 of their last 6 games going into the playoffs. The playoffs start for the Knights on Wednesday at Sandwich at 7:30 (see below).

The sophomores finished the season strong by beating Yorkville 40-28 The Knights won 3 out of their last 4 games. The Knights once 3-16 played well at end of the season winning by double digits in their last three wins. In their only loss of the final four games they were ahead by 5 points with just 3 minutes to play. The Jr. Knights finished 6-17, but don't let the record fool yea!