Wheeling 99, Elk Grove 59
As the final seconds ticked away, Ashley Wilson sat on the bench smiling Tuesday.
With the Wheeling (23-3, 8-1) reserves putting the finishing touches on a 99-59 Mid-Suburban East girls basketball win over Elk Grove (13-12, 3-6), Wilson could relax and think about a chance to play in the league's title game.
"I can smell it but we're not overlooking Rolling Meadows," Wilson said. "They're going to come out and play hard. We're just going to come out and play harder."
If Wheeling can beat the Mustangs by 7 or more points on Friday, they will clinch a spot in the MSL championship game for the first time.
Wilson did everything she could to put her team in its current position with a career-high tying 30 points, 12 rebounds and 5 steals. She had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals in the first quarter as Wheeling took a 27-11 lead.
"(Wilson) has really good court awareness of where she is and she reads well when the ball goes up where it's going to be," said Elk Grove sophomore center Ashley Capotosto. "She can fight through like four people. It's difficult to get around her."
Sophomore Janelle Cannon had 20 points, 4 steals, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and a pair of blocks for the Wildcats, who led 48-29 at halftime and never saw their lead dip below 24 in the second half.
Illinois-bound center Lana Rukavina returned after missing five games with concussion-like symptoms and had 16 points and 3 blocks for the Wildcats. Sophomore Bianca Szafarowicz had 11 points, 4 assists and 3 steals while Jessie Smith added 9 points and 4 assists.
"We were really unselfish," Wheeling coach Shelly Wiegel said after her club recorded 14 assists on 37 field goals. "We moved the ball well, especially in transition. There is nobody thinking shot first. They're thinking whatever the best basket is, that's what we're going to do. I like that unselfishness."
Capotosto led the Grenadiers with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Kayla Mahoney scored 11 and Kristy Ottosen added 7.
"My girls battled to the end," Elk Grove coach Jim Wills said. "(Wheeling is) a very good team. Obviously they're bigger than us, more physical because they have some size and they've got a ton of talent. We did the best that we could."