Chery, Wildcats finish off Grens

Wheeling senior Alex Chery had a simple new year's resolution: get a Mid-Suburban East win.

Playing in their first game of 2008, the Wildcats granted Chery his wish.

Wheeling raced out to 21-6 lead and shot 73 percent before halftime on their way to a 61-44 win over Elk Grove.

"It's a new year so we wanted to come out really strong and get our first division win," Chery said after scoring 20 points and adding 4 blocks and 3 steals. "We've been working on our chemistry a lot. We just try to stick together so we can play well."

Wheeling (7-8, 1-4) saw its lead cut to 25-14 but responded with 12 straight points and led 41-22 at halftime. James Kurtz (16 points, 6 rebounds) scored 10 in the first half as the Wildcats shared the ball and played solid team defense.

"After the (Wheeling Hardwood Classic) tournament, we had a couple disagreements on the team," Kurtz said. "But I feel that we really came together this game. We're starting to show people that we can play together."

Chris McClellan had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, including a couple of no-look passes to Cherry for easy layups.

Michael Barton had 9 points and 6 rebounds, Sayer Jackson had 4 points and 4 rebounds, and Michael Zimmer added 7 rebounds for the Wildcats.

Wheeling held a 32-16 rebounding advantage and hit 28-of-46 shots, including 19-of-26 in the first half.

"I think we came out mentally ready to play," Wildcats coach Lou Wool said. "We executed really well. Our passes were crisp, we were looking for our teammates, we were making the extra pass to the open man and as a result we were getting some good shot opportunities."

Elk Grove (2-15, 0-5) was led by Billy Hubly's 17 points and 4 steals. Kevin McDonald and Tim Furlong each added 8 points and 3 steals, while Matt Martinski scored 7 in the Grenadiers' fifth straight loss.

"I don't believe that we stepped onto the floor ready to play and they just jumped all over us," Elk Grove coach Anthony Furman said after a lengthy postgame talk with his team. "We just did not come out and do what you have to do to win an MSL game. We are going to fix it and we are all part of that solution in fixing it."