Wheaton Warrenvile South 33, West Chicago 24
West Chicago's girls basketball team didn't go quietly on Thursday, but when it finally went, Wheaton Warrenville South clinched its second consecutive DuPage Valley Conference title.
"I think a lot of people counted us out this year because we lost so many good players from last year," said Tigers senior point guard Taylor Nieling. "We had something to prove. We never quit and never give up."
The Tigers' 33-24 win over the Wildcats in West Chicago gave them a 12-2 record in DVC play and an overall mark of 19-8.
"We had a new look this year, and maybe it wasn't expected," Tigers coach Rob Kroehnke said of another DVC title. "But the girls battled all year long, and we went through the second half of the conference without a loss.
"It's just a great accomplishment to win the DVC again."
A feisty West Chicago zone defense effectively slowed the Tigers and kept the Wildcats within striking distance throughout Thursday's game. WW South led 14-10 at halftime.
"We've been changing defenses and trying different things," West Chicago coach Kim Wallner said. "We caught them on a night when they weren't really hot, shooting-wise, and I thought we did some nice things."
Wildcats sophomore Katie Staiton provided a first-half defensive spark, and Kayla Radloff led all scorers to halftime of a low-scoring affair with 5 points.
"I told the girls to expect nothing less from West Chicago," Kroehnke said. "I don't care when we play them, or what year it is, we're going to have a battle. They battled us."
With Tigers senior Sarah Langlas on the bench for much of the game due to illness, her teammates had to step up in the second half. They did, in two main ways.
"Fortunately, we played good defense and rebounded. If we didn't do that, we'd be in trouble," Kroehnke said. "That's the only reason we won the game."
The Tigers posted 31 rebounds and 17 steals on the night. Madeline Close, Taylor Owens and Caitlin Schwark attacked the offensive glass throughout the first half, and the Tigers built a 23-16 lead after three quarters with its defense.
"Our defense has been our strong point this year. Even if we don't have a good offensive game, we can hold a team down," Nieling said.
West Chicago (2-24, 1-13) hung tough in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers went on a 6-0 run that put them up 33-20 in securing the win.
"Credit goes to Sarah (Langlas), Maddie (Close), and Taylor," Kroehnke said. "They started last year, they know what it's all about, and the seniors stepped up this year."
Annie Shain, Hannah Credille, Close and Nieling scored 6 points apiece for the Tigers, and Radloff led West Chicago with 7 points.
"We lost players like Keilani (Moeaki) and Grace (Delaney) to graduation, and we all had to step up this year," Nieling said. "If one person wasn't doing well, someone else had to step up, and that's what we've done."