Wheeling picks up big win in opener

Wheeling coach Shelly Wiegel had a good feeling about her team's chances when its season-opener went to overtime Tuesday night in Park Ridge.

"Getting to overtime I felt pretty confident," she said. "We've been doing a lot of conditioning in practice so I felt we'd be ready."

The Wildcats were ready indeed as they outscored host Maine South 15-1 in the extra session to claim a 62-48 triumph in each team's season-opener.

Illinois-bound Lana Rukavina scored a team-high 20 points and notched the 1,000th point of her career in the first quarter. The senior forward also pulled down 12 rebounds with 5 assists and a blocked shot.

"I'm just glad to be back playing with my teammates and doing what we do best," said the 6-foot-3 Rukavina, who was without her frontline partner Ashley Wilson (834 career points), a junior standout expected back by the weekend from a stress fracture.

"It's upsetting but she'll be back soon," Rukavina added.

"We had a lot of respect for Wheeling with or without Ashley," said Hawks coach Mark Smith. "I'm proud of our kids. We just ran out of gas a little at the end.

"We knew we were going up against a very good team. We don't apologize for scheduling them as our first game. It makes for intense practices and when you're preparing to play one of the best teams in the state, the rest takes care of itself."

The Wildcats took care of things in overtime, getting a lot of inside shots and free throws.

Lindsey Mills, a 6-2 senior forward, scored 6 points in OT while Evanston transfer Janelle Cannon (16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals in her Wheeling debut) added 5 and Rukavina 4, all on free throws.

Stephanie Kuzmanic also had a free throw in the final four minutes.

"We were more aggressive in the overtime, played better defense and 'Ruk' was a beast down there with rebounds," said Mills, who scored 12 points and grabbed 3 rebounds. "We're blessed with a lot of height so we intend to use it."

Bartlett transfer Natasha Robinson added 5 points. Bianca Szafarowicz (3 rebounds) and Jessie Smith (5 assists, 3 rebounds) also made key contributions.

Senior guard Michelle Tourtillot netted a game-high 22 points for the Hawks.

"We really wanted to start out the season with a bang," Mills added.

"It's really nice to start the season with a win, especially over a great program like Maine South," added Wiegel.