Abbey’s road: Hobart is already a hit as a freshman for Stagg. And it started in the summer. ‘She’s getting better every game.’

Abbey Hobart had some nice momentum going into her freshman year at Stagg.

She came in from St. Alexander, where her teams in sixth through eighth grade were unbeaten.

She also had approval — and help — from her older sister Nicole.

“Nicole pushes me to be better than myself from the day before,” Abbey said. “She’s a good role model to look up to.”

Abbey was a leader in her own right Tuesday night for the Chargers in a 37-30 nonconference victory over host Oak Lawn.

The 5-foot-7 Hobart scored a game-high 13 points for Stagg (5-8). Ameli Sanchez had nine points and seven rebounds, while Julia McAuliffe contributed nine points and Gina Librizzi added nine rebounds.

Teagan Krzystof led Oak Lawn (5-8) with 11 points. Danielle Dempsey contributed seven rebounds.

One of Hobart’s teammates in grammar school at St. Alexander was Mother McAuley’s Quinn Arundel, another one of the Southland’s top freshmen this season.

“It was so nice to have someone my age to play with who really understood the game,” Hobart said.

By the end of the summer, Stagg coach Bill Turner decided Hobart would be on the varsity.

“For one thing, we had a need,” Turner said. “We graduated a lot of talent. We also realized she had the ability, too.

“We had her come out to our last couple of summer league games and play on the varsity in the Oak Lawn fall league. We told her she could probably come up if she wanted to, and she definitely wanted to.”

Horton is averaging 8.3 points and 2.2 steals this season, both second on the team.

“Abbey still has to get used to the physicality and speed of the varsity game,” Turner said. “She’s scoring. She’s getting steals. She still needs to work a bit on the defensive end, but she’s getting better every game.

“She’s adapting well and proving she belongs. She has a bright future ahead of her, that’s for sure.”

Older sister Nicole, a 5-9 junior guard, is her workout partner in the driveway.

“I had expectations for Abbey,” Nicole said. “She’s worked so hard since fifth grade. She’s always in the gym and in our driveway, just working on her handles and her shooting.”

Nerves? Not an issue. Not much of an issue, anyway.

“During the summer, I felt like I really fit in and that hopefully I would be able to play with them,” Abbey said. “I was a little nervous because everyone was older. But I knew there would be good leaders on the team.”

One of them is Sanchez, a 5-10 junior who in her third varsity season has switched from shooting guard to point guard.

As a freshman and sophomore, Sanchez played behind standout Laila Barakat. She was Stagg’s leader last season in points, assists, rebounds and steals.

Sanchez is now the Chargers’ leader in points, assists, rebounds and steals.

It’s been a smooth transition — thanks, in large part, to the emergence of Hobart.

“It does help a lot,” Sanchez said. “I know that I have shooters on the team. And it’s good to have a lot of people who know how to dribble.

“Abbey can get around and create for herself. I can create for her and I can create for Nicole, too. It’s good to have them.”

In the win over Oak Lawn, Abbey Hobart hit three 3-pointers. She didn’t have a hand in her face on any of them, basically because she was in constant motion.

“I like to move around to get open for my teammates,” Hobart said. “I try to stay in shape during the offseason. I want to be there for my teammates.”