Wheaton Warrenville South hits the gas vs. Panthers

Knowing that Glenbard North's girls basketball team is most dangerous in a slow-down, half-court game, Wheaton Warrenville South coach Rob Kroehnke wanted his squad to punch the gas pedal and keep it floored Wednesday.

Sarah Langlas, Taylor Nieling and company obliged in a DuPage Valley Conference game, as the visiting Tigers (15-7, 8-2) kept the pace fast in a 52-31 win over the Panthers (5-18, 2-8) in Carol Stream.

"This is not an easy place to play, and they're a very good team if you play at their tempo," Tigers coach Rob Kroehnke said of the Panthers.

"We subbed a lot more than we usually do and played a lot quicker than we usually do. I thought the girls all did a nice job of going in, working hard for a few minutes and making plays."

Nobody made more plays than Langlas, who finished with 21 points, 6 steals and 6 rebounds and spearheaded a first half in which the Tigers built a 26-15 lead. Langlas and Nieling scored 10 points apiece through two quarters.

Tigers defenders got in the passing lanes, forced turnovers and ran the fastbreak well to halftime.

"At first we were a little off, with the fast pace of the game, because we don't usually play that fast," Langlas said. "But our experience off the bench has grown a lot, and our younger players are more efficient for us to sub like that."

The Tigers led 17-6 after a quarter, but the Panthers matched them in the second, as each team put 9 points on the board. A 3-pointer from Taylor Mallot and a 15-footer from Amoni Reynolds cut the Panthers' lead to 20-13 in the second quarter, but WW South answered with a 6-0 run built on defense.

"We worked in practice against their zone and (showed) ways to get shots," said Panthers coach Mark Glenn. "But we didn't attack the baseline enough, and they've got some quick girls out front."

The Tigers outscored the Panthers 15-8 in the third quarter, with Langlas scoring 8 and the Panthers' Megan Ney scoring all 8 of her team's points in the quarter. The Tigers took a 20-point lead in the fourth on 2 Katie Ottolin free throws and never looked back.

"Caitlyn Schwark and Katie Ottolin came off the bench and played really well tonight," Kroehnke said.

Taylor Owens also pulled down 7 rebounds for the Tigers.

Malott joined Ney with 8 points for the Panthers, but Glenbard North didn't manage double-digit scoring in any quarter, as the Tigers' offensive attack hummed along.

"As far as assists, and our passing, we definitely know each other better on the court," Langlas said. "A lot of my points tonight were off of layups, off of perfect passes from my teammates."