WW South 63, West Aurora 46

West Aurora rode an 11-game winning streak into a Saturday afternoon game at Wheaton Warrenville South, and left with a disheartening 63-46 loss.

The Blackhawks (17-7, 8-3) have used their athleticism and aggressive play to emerge as one of the top teams in the DuPage Valley Conference. But the Tigers negated each of West Aurora's strengths, and dominated virtually every aspect of the game.

"They're a great team, and we got into some foul trouble and then we started playing tentative," West Aurora coach Connie Siljendahl said.

On the defensive end, the Tigers jammed passing lanes and kept West Aurora's Kyra Watson from taking over the game.

"The big thing was that we only turned the ball over twice in the second half," Wheaton Warrenville South coach Rob Kroehnke said. "We took care of the ball and played defense."

When they had the ball, the Tigers refused to let West Aurora's swarming pressure get to them, and used sharp passes to overcome the Blackhawks' quickness and create scoring chances in the paint.

Though the Blackhawks never got into a rhythm, Watson and Briannica Tye staked their team to a 13-7 lead after one quarter.

That was as good as it would get for West Aurora, as Maddy Close fueled Wheaton Warrenville South's second quarter surge. By halftime, the West Aurora lead was down to 25-23.

"We knew they were going to come out with everything they had," Close, who led the Tigers with 14 points, said. "We had to pick up the intensity."

The Tigers headed into the locker room with momentum on their side, and any possibility that it might dissipate during the break was erased when Taylor Nieling opened the third quarter by draining a 3-pointer.

"We talk about the importance of balanced scoring," Kroehnke said. "It was good to see (Nieling and Sarah Langas) stepping up for us."

Langas went to work inside, and when Nieling closed out the quarter just as she had started it, Wheaton Warrenville South led 42-33.

"It was about not letting up, and every single player contributed to that," Langas said. "This win is huge because it keeps us in the running in the DVC."

The Tigers (16-7, 9-2) refused to let up down the stretch, closing out the game with a 21-point fourth quarter.

Nieling and Langas each scored 13, Owens added 11.

Watson led all scorers with 15 points.

"Our players are young and sometimes they underestimate an opponent," Siljendahl said. "It was a struggle today."