West Aurora impresses in opener
West Aurora girls basketball coach Connie Siljendahl saw something from her squad Thursday that it struggled with all of last season.
Patience.
"We climbed a mountain in this game," Siljendahl said after her team's 60-50 win over Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn. "Most of our games last year were close games that we'd lose by 1 or 2 points."
"They look more mature this year. I'm proud of them. They pulled it off."
The Blackhawks (1-0) took a close game through three quarters and applied defensive pressure and offensive composure to it. The result was a fourth quarter that buried the Hilltoppers (0-2).
"They put some pressure on us and we didn't handle it well," said Hilltoppers coach Mike Hofland. "They were aggressive, and we panicked a little."
West Aurora used the same kind of defensive pressure to build a 10-2 lead to start the game before the Hilltoppers began breaking the Blackhawks' trap with better success.
Glenbard West went on a 12-4 run and then outscored West Aurora 13-11 in the second quarter of a game that was tied 27-27 at halftime.
The Hilltoppers also fought back from a 19-4 deficit to Proviso East before losing 48-42 Tuesday.
"We've been working on breaking those kinds of presses," said Hilltoppers junior Kathryn Lux. "We're adjusting to that, and we're playing well as a team so far."
West Aurora's Kyra Watson scored 9 of her team-high 16 points before halftime, and it was made clear to her and her teammates what was needed in the second half.
"They were outhustling us," Watson said of the Hilltoppers. "Coach let us know at halftime, and we started hustling a lot more."
Glenbard West led 34-31 before the Blackhawks took over the lead on a Devin Vaughn baseline jumper and a Watson basket. Vaughn his a 3-pointer late in the third quarter that gave her team a lead it wouldn't again relinquish.
The Blackhawks withstood a 15-point second half by the Hilltoppers' Nicole Hazemi, and extended their lead down the stretch by forcing turnovers and finding offensive composure.
"The key was patience," Watson said. "Before, it was one pass and shoot it. Once we started being patient, it all worked."
Hazemi led all scorers with 17 points, and the Hilltoppers got 9 points apiece from Abigail Hastings and Lux, who also pulled down 6 rebounds.
"We'll get better. That's our goal," Hofland said. "We saw some good things today, and we'll improve."
"We got a little tired at the end of this game, so we've got to push it at practice the next couple days," Lux said.
Watson also had 8 rebounds on the night, Vaughn scored 14 points, Destiny Williams netted 10, and Siljendahl got a fine effort from Tyronza McGowan, who had 8 points and 3 rebounds after the break.
"(McGowan) was our player of the game. She just turned it on in the second half," Siljendahl said.