The St. Charles East learning resource center contained slightly more commotion than usual around 10:30 a.m.
Monday.
That’s about when Saints girls bowling coach Mary Ann Carrell, who works in the LRC, learned junior Laura Crocker had earned an at-large bid to this weekend’s state tournament at Cherry Bowl in Rockford.
Crocker happened to be in the LRC between classes when Carrell, frantically refreshing her computer, gathered the news. The two briefly broke protocol and spoke above hushed tones.
“While she was standing there is when it finally came through,” Carrell said. “We were just jumping up and down and hugging each other.”
Crocker joins St. Charles North junior Bobbi Jo Buhlman and East sophomore Erin Heuer as Chronicle-area athletes to advance to the state tournament. On Saturday, Buhlman rolled a 1,217 series over six games to earn top individual honors at the Schaumburg Sectional at Poplar Creek Bowl in Hoffman Estates.
Heuer (1,203) was third, while Crocker (1,183) finished four pins shy of securing the sectional’s fifth and final individual qualifying spot. IHSA officials determined the final at-large qualifiers shortly after the IHSA’s Bloomington office opened Monday morning.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
UEC crossovers set: Saturday’s final Upstate Eight Conference River and Valley Division girls basketball games decided the UEC crossovers to be held this week. All crossovers will be played at Valley sites and tip off at 7:15 p.m.
Friday’s UEC championship crossover will pit Geneva against Valley champ Neuqua Valley in a rematch from earlier this season. The Wildcats won, 45-22, on Nov. 23 in
Geneva, two days after point guard Michaela Loebel suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Geneva also was without Sami Pawlak, who was sidelined with a broken finger, but since has returned.
The rest of the crossover schedule is set for Thursday. In games involving Chronicle-area River teams, second-place finisher St. Charles East visits Metea Valley, fourth-place Batavia goes to South Elgin and fifth-place St. Charles North travels to East Aurora.
East (65-59 home loss) and North (39-35 home win) both will be part of crossover rematches with Valley foes.
The River standings experienced late shuffling Saturday when Geneva, assured of at least a tie for the title, leapfrogged Streamwood when the Sabres suffered a home loss to Batavia. The Vikings had a 10-2 mark in River play.
Batavia 70, Oswego East 44: At Batavia, Liza Fruendt (17 points) and Miranda Grizaffi (16) paced four Batavia players in double figures as the team rolled on its senior night.
Hannah Frazier and Erin Bayram notched 11 points apiece for the 18-9 Bulldogs. Batavia led, 38-15, at halftime.
