WW South perseveres to defeat Wheaton North
Wheaton Warrenville South coach Rob Kroehnke couldn't have been any prouder of his girls basketball players.
It looked like the Tigers were in big trouble when senior guard Erin Madigan left Thursday's DuPage Valley Conference game at Wheaton North with a knee injury late in the second quarter. Instead the Tigers earned a 54-44 victory.
"I told the girls after the game, in my 28 years of coaching, that's the gutsiest win I've ever seen in my life," Kroehnke said. "There was 15,000 reasons we could have just said (we quit). When they cut it to 3, that was a gutsy comeback to finish the way they did. They really did a nice job."
The Tigers also impressed Falcons coach Dave Eaton with the way they finished the game.
"That just showed a lot about their team," Eaton said. "One of their leaders and one of the most respected kids in the DVC, Erin Madigan, a kid that Rob doesn't take off the floor, gets hurt and has to come out. Boy, what a great performance by their kids to step up. It just shows a lot of leadership.
"And really it shows Erin's true impact on that team. I don't think they were going to let that one get away because of her. She's a great player and really a respected player."
Madigan left the game with 1:14 left in the second quarter and the Tigers leading 26-19. Madigan already had scored 9 points and was threatening to break the school steals record for a game, having picked off 8, mostly by stepping into passing lanes to grab Falcons passes like a football free safety.
She will undergo an MRI on Friday.
"It was really difficult losing Erin in the second quarter," Tigers junior Sarah Struebing said. "We tried to keep our composure. Our defense, we work really hard on that end. Our offense was a little off, but we hung in there and that was the main goal."
Struebing was surprised to learn she finished with 14 points, 7 coming in the fourth quarter. She added 6 rebounds.
"Sarah stepped up," Kroehnke said. "Great second half there. She was really big on the free throws too, wasn't she?"
Sophomore Jayla Johnson also scored 14 points for the Tigers. She also grabbed 6 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.
The Tigers (13-4, 8-0) remain in first place in the DVC at the season's midpoint. In fact, all four levels at WW South are 8-0.
"We knew this was going to be a big game for us," Struebing said. "I'm ecstatic. I'm so happy."
Freshman Nikki Baird scored 15 points to lead the Falcons (7-12, 3-6). Emmy Gryna added 10 points.
Follow Orrin on Twitter @Orrin_Schwarz