The holidays were good to Stagg’s Abbey Hobart.
The junior guard had a tremendous two-day stretch after Christmas when she tied a program record, was a point away from tying it again and went over the 1,000-point mark for her career.
“I think it was pretty cool,” Hobart said of her scoring surge. “I don’t know, it just comes to me. My teammates pass me the ball and I get an open shot.
“I think a lot of it is my teammates help me get open with their screens.”
On Dec. 26, Hobart scored 37 points in a 61-52 loss to Bloom in the second round of the Hillcrest Holiday Classic. She followed that up the next day with 36 points against the host Hawks.
The Chargers needed them all in a 44-39 third-round win over Hillcrest. And in that mix, she also scored her 1,000th career point.
Allee Hernandez, in her first year as Stagg’s coach, not only enjoyed the scoring production from Hobart but also has been impressed with the variety of ways she puts points on the board.
“She does a little of everything, and the key for us is to put her in positions to be successful,” Hernandez said of Hobart. “She has some great teammates as well.
“She has the 3-pointer, she has the layup, she has the floater and she has the turnaround jumper.”
But that’s not all. Hernandez also is happy if Hobart doesn’t score a ton of points for the Chargers (13-7), who snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday with a 50-21 victory at Richards.
Hobart only had 10 points, but sophomore guard Kacey Fitzpatrick led with 13.
Hernandez likes when Hobart gets other players involved.
“She has a lot of game experience with travel ball and school ball,” Hernandez said of Hobart. “She is good at reading when it’s a time for her to shine and when it’s time to dish off.
“It’s something she has gotten better at over time. It’s growing as she is gaining trust in her teammates and helping them be successful.”
Hobart also has grown accustomed to success.
For three years as St. Alexander in Palos Heights, she was on a team that did not lose a game. She was teammates there with Quinn Arundel, a standout junior guard for Mother McAuley.
As a freshman, Abbey teamed up with her older sister, Nicole, to lead Stagg. She provided an immediate impact, although there were some nerves when coach Bill Turner made the call.
“I was so scared my freshman year, but it turned out great,” Abbey said. “I had some great coaches and my sister helped me out.”
Now, as a junior, Abbey is becoming a leader for the Chargers, who were 14-18 when Hobart was a freshman but turned that around to 19-13 last season, Turner’s finale as head coach.
With blocking and rebounding machine Shannon Earley, another strong inside presence in Victoria Bedziechowski and the emergence of Fitzpatrick, Stagg is looking for a big finish to the season.
“I think some of the underclassmen have stepped up to the challenge,” Hobart said. “The defense has stepped up. Shannon is having a great season rebounding and her blocks are crazy.”
Hobart, meanwhile, credited her father, Charles, for helping grow her love for the game.
“Some of my favorite memories are with my dad being my coach,” she said. “Growing up with my dad coaching started my love of basketball because he would make everything fall into place.
“Then I kept loving my teammates. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad teammate.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
