Wrap: Wildcats rebound; Fillies hang on
Coming back after a heartbreaking loss is not always easy but Wheeling showed just how to do it on Thursday night.
The host Wildcats came out firing on offense early and controlled the Mid-Suburban East girls basketball game defensively in a 51-26 win over Rolling Meadows.
Last Friday, Wheeling suffered a 43-34 loss to Buffalo Grove, which seemed to be erased from their memory after the victory.
"We were really let down after that game so I was very happy for our girls to come out and get this win," said Wheeling coach Shelly Wiegel.
Leading the way for the Wildcats was 6-foot-3 senior Lana Rukavina, who is headed to Illinois next year. Rukavina finished with a game-high 17 points, 13 of which came in the first half.
"I thought that as a team we came out with a lot of intensity for this game," said Rukavina. "Early on we came out a little slow but we picked it up."
Wheeling (10-2, 2-1) scored at will early in the game and controlled the low post on defense for a 25-12 lead at the half.
Meadows was the faster of the two teams but ultimately ball control and a lack of inside scoring led to the loss. The Mustangs (2-8, 0-3) leading scorer was senior Shannon McGuire with 6 points.
Meadows also received 5 points apiece from senior Alexa Bennett and junior Maddy Urban.
In the second half Wheeling came out strong yet again and did not scale down their pressure on defense. Senior Jessie Smith and junior Ashley Wilson both added 6 points apiece for the Wildcats and added some much-needed rebounding at both ends.
Another positive that came out of the game for Wheeling was junior Bridgette Gray returned to the team after suffering a concussion three weeks ago.
"The win was nice, but getting Bridgette back is a real positive for the team," said Wiegel.
Barrington 47, Hoffman 41: Barrington and coach Babbi Barreiro have been searching for consistency all season.
The Fillies have shown flashes of their potential, but in the end it was not enough.
But in Thursday's MSL West contest, Barrington strung together three strong quarters and despite slipping a bit in the fourth quarter was able to hang on for a 47-41 victory over visiting Hoffman Estates.
"We didn't finish," said Barreiro of her team that watched a 12-point fourth-quarter lead dwindle to 4 points in the closing minute. "I thought we played a real nice game up until five minutes in the fourth quarter.
"That's the thing with us, we've been very inconsistent, but I'm glad we were able to hang on."
Freshman Shelby Whigham has battled her own growing pains this season, but the 5-foot-9 forward played a complete game on Thursday, scoring a team-high 14 points with 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
"The beginning of the season it was hard," said Whigham of her leap to varsity. "Everybody seemed to have a lot more experience, but now that I have couple games under my belt it's a lot better."
Sophomore Emily Harris complemented Whigham with 9 points and 9 rebounds. The 6-foot center had 2 of her 3 assists in the opening quarter to lead Barrington to a 10-8 advantage.
The tight first half featured 8 lead changes and 7 ties, but Sarah Reindl came off the bench to spark Barrington with a pair of 3-pointers for a 25-22 halftime advantage.
Barrington (3-8, 1-2) also converted 7-of-8 free throws in the opening half.
The Fillies then picked up the intensity on defense in the third quarter. Junior Claire Roggeveen scored off a pair of turnovers including a layup with two seconds remaining in the quarter to give Barrington a 38-28 lead.
"Everyone picked it up on defense," said Roggeveen, whose team scored 7 points off of 6 Hoffman turnovers. "We had worked so hard, we had to keep our intensity going."
"We just didn't get our offense set up," added Hoffman coach Mike Nocella, whose team converted only 3-of-18 shots in the third quarter. "The kids were a little bit helter-skelter."
Hoffman (7-4, 0-3) trailed 40-28 early in the fourth quarter, but switched to a press that forced 10 fourth-quarter turnovers. A Melissa Douglass basket with 53 seconds narrowed the deficit to 45-41.
But the Fillies were able to navigate the final minute to secure the victory. Megan Fischer scored a game-high 19 points to lead Hoffman.
-- Michael Eaken