Conant claims MSL sequel against Wheeling

In the second of consecutive meetings against Wheeling with a Mid-Suburban League girls water polo championship at stake, this ending suited Conant.

From the opening swim-off, which featured Sam Wooley making a steal after Wheeling had won possession and driving all the way to the frame for a goal, the Cougars made the Wildcats pay for seemingly minor defensive lapses time and again.

Conant had a scoring edge in every quarter but the last, and by that time the Cougars had earned a decisive lead on the way to a 14-8 victory.

The outcome is a reversal of last year's championship, won by Wheeling in overtime, and marks Conant's first MSL title.

"For last year's game, I think we were just sort of enjoying the ride," said Conant coach Justin Bickus. "This year, it was a little different. I know my kids were nervous - but they were ready.

"Losing might have been the best thing for us."

Conant senior Carmen Rosas was a two-way force, finishing with 6 goals. Fittingly, that was the same scoring total for Wheeling senior standout Theresa Godlewski.

Senior Bobby Smigla made a big difference for Conant. She scored 3 of her 4 goals in the second quarter, the last of which gave Conant some separation with a 7-3 lead.

"Great kid - really a hard worker who's been going at it for four years with us, " said Bickus of Smigla. "I'm just really happy to see her have success."

Another key Conant senior was goalie Maddy Demaret. Wheeling put plenty of good shots on goal, but Demaret stopped 13 attempts and Wheeling came up empty on four of its five man-up possessions.

"You have to pump-fake her, you have to head-fake her - and then you still have to get lucky," said Wheeling coach Bob Savitt. "I'm not sure why, but I feel like we kind of gave them our 'B' game today. No excuses - as I told our girls, we played a terrific team and for whatever reason, we were a little bit off."

Conant led 3-2 after an evenly played first period, which included goals from Godlewski and Argelia Diaz for Wheeling, and from Wooley, Emily Weingart and Miranda Fenlon for Conant.

Wheeling's biggest trouble spot was the second quarter as Rosas and Smigla did a nice job of getting offensive position and making the Wildcats pay with strong finishes. Godlewski still scored twice in the period, both times on shots following common fouls as Wheeling had hard time connecting often enough on passes to generate quality chances.

"She's so good," Demaret said of Godlewski. "Between her and No. 7 (Diaz), you've got to expect a shot at any time."

Demaret said she felt the main change in this year's meeting was limiting the number of quality chances her team allowed Wheeling.

"Defense, no question about it," Demaret said. "And I think just having more experience than last year made a difference for us."

Both Conant and Wheeling now look ahead to next week's sectional tournaments. Wheeling is the No. 3 seed in the Buffalo Grove sectional, while Conant is the top seed in the Schaumburg complex.

Perhaps that explains why Bickus and the Cougars opted to skip a traditional celebratory postgame splash. A first conference title was nice, but Conant is looking forward to the opportunity for another, bigger first - a sectional championship, and a spot in the state tournament's Elite Eight.

"We feel like we still have some work to do," Bickus said.

• The MSL all-conference choices were announced before the championship game. They are:

Barrington: Mia Latimer (Jr.)

Buffalo Grove: Jessica Graziano (Sr.)

Conant: Carmel Rosas (Sr.), Maddy Demaret (Sr.), Emily Weingart (Sr.)

Elk Grove: Lilly Lawrin (Jr.)

Fremd: Emma Hoffman (Sr.), Emma Jeronimus (Jr.), Tami Carlson (Sr.)

Hersey: Katie Lutz (Sr.)

Palatine: Caroline Wojtas (Sr.), Caitlin McHugh (Sr.), Tess O'Brien (Jr.)

Prospect: Niki Neumann (Sr.), Danielle McCallister (Sr.), Lauren Broz (Jr.)

Rolling Meadows: Erin Pletch (Sr.)

Schaumburg: Britney Vasquez (Sr.)

Wheeling: Theresa Godlewski (Sr.), Argelia Diaz (Jr.), Elizabeth Wargo (Soph.)