WWS tops Wheaton North
When Wheaton North finally reached the top of the mountain, Annie Shain and Wheaton Warrenville South pushed the Falcons back down the side.
The freshman buried two 3-pointers during an 11-0 run in the second half that propelled the host Tigers to a 48-37 girls basketball triumph over Wheaton North on Tuesday night.
By winning the showdown for first place in the DuPage Valley Conference, WW South (18-8, 11-2) clinched at least a share of its second straight conference title.
Shain made WW South's senior night one to remember with her two 3s.
"She really put the momentum back in our favor with those two shots," Tigers coach Rob Kroehnke said.
WW South led by as much as 11 in the first half before settling for a 16-9 lead at intermission.
Wheaton North (16-8, 10-3) shook off 3-of-18 shooting from the field in the first half to stage a comeback. A three-point play by Michelle Scandora put the Falcons ahead 23-22 with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
But Shain answered with a 3-pointer to give her team the lead again.
"It felt good to strike back," Shain said. "I was just open so I took the shot."
"That shot was just absolutely huge," Kroehnke said.
The clutch trey triggered the host team's 11-0 spree. Sarah Langlas followed with one of her patented steal-into-layup plays, then Shain drained her second 3-pointer just as Kroehnke was about to tell his team to only take a layup.
Langlas added a free throw and Maddie Close connected on a 12-footer to put the Tigers up 33-23 with 6:39 left.
The home team eventually stretched its advantage to 14. It made 13 of 16 free throws in the final quarter.
The Tigers received big efforts from a pair of seniors. Langlas finished with game-highs of 14 points and 6 assists, while Close posted 12 points and a game-high 5 steals.
Scandora was the lone Wheaton North player to score in double figures with 13 points.
The Falcons shot just 28 percent from the field, including 3 of 24 from 3-point territory, against WW South's 1-3-1 zone.
"We just needed our shooters to step up and they didn't," Wheaton North coach David Eaton said.
WW South can win the DVC outright by winning its final conference game Thursday at last-place West Chicago.