Furious five help Conant outscore Hoffman Estates

Conant hit Hoffman Estates with a first-quarter Yahtzee on Friday night in the Mid-Suburban West.

For you non-gamers out there, that's five of a kind.

The Cougars' 5-spot was 5 long 3-point baskets in the early minutes of the game - two by Jorie Wachal, two from Cate Fitzgerald, and one by Michelle Benson.

By the time Benson's swished through, Conant held a 16-3 lead and the Cougars didn't let up from there.

Wachal, a junior guard, scored a game high 22 points as the Cougars beat the visiting Hawks 58-45.

"The best thing about tonight's game was our balance," said Conant coach Deirdre Naughton. "I can't remember the last time that we had four players in double figures. It wasn't just the Jorie show - everybody contributed."

Fitzgerland scored 11 points in the crosstown rivalry while Benson and Karli Heneghan each had 10. And the home team owned a commanding advantage on the boards as well. The Cougars outrebounded Hoffman 23-12 as Heneghan led the way with a game-high 6.

"We focus on rebounding," said Heneghan. "We have to rebound if we want to win. Most teams we face are taller than us, but it's all about heart, not size."

"I think they girls realize by now that most teams we play will have a size advantage," added Naughton. "They're used to it, they expect it and they embrace it."

Erin Hanson led the Hawks with 16 points in a gritty effort while Monraia Wilson scored 14.

"We didn't execute our game plan," said Hoffman coach Mike Koester, "and they were able to get the ball to Jorie, who's their best player. She got some open looks and caught fire."

"We didn't come out and play as hard as we needed to at the start," said Hawks guard Tayler Williams. "We were much more aggressive the rest of the game."

Hoffman was in full-court press mode the entire contest, and it started getting results in the second quarter when the visitors caused 4 straight Conant turnovers.

But the Hawks couldn't translate the Cougars miscues into points at the other end, and Conant still held a 28-19 lead at the break.

"We sometimes use our press to get us amped up and get us back in the game," said Koester. "It worked for awhile, but then they (Conant) figured it out and we didn't make the adjustments."

Wachal scored 5 straight points to open the second half, and the Cougars held on to at least 14-point lead in the third quarter before a 3-point play from Hanson cut it to 11.

Hoffman Estates (9-12, 1-3) could get only as close as 49-37 in the fourth - behind another drive and 3-point play from Hanson - due to the tremendous free throw shooting of Conant.

The Cougars (9-13, 2-2) were 14-of-17 from the foul line in the final eight minutes.

"We work a lot on free throw shooting," said Heneghan. "It's important to be able to stay calm at the end of games and finish."

Mynk Richardson-Clerk had 8 points for the Hawks, while Amanda Klingsporn scored 5 for Conant but more importantly was a force on defense.

"Amanda was outstanding on the defensive end," said Naughton. "The kids had a big task tonight, and they were up to the challenge."

"We started out strong," added Wachal, "and we played a very steady game the whole way. Most of our games have been up and down this year, and tonight we hit a wall in the second quarter but it only lasted a minute or two. The rest of the way we were solid."