Falcons squeak past Tigers
With the basketball game won and ceremonies over, Caroline Love could finally consider the piece of history she and her Wheaton North teammates had just experienced together with cross-town rival Wheaton Warrenville South.
Playing at soon-to-close Hubble Middle School - the former Wheaton Community High School and Wheaton Central High School - the Falcons weathered the Tigers' upset bid to escape with a 47-38 DuPage Valley Conference victory in the Heritage Classic on Saturday night.
"It was really exciting just having a lot of people here," said Love, who credited the electric atmosphere for her team's ability to come from behind in the fourth quarter. "It just feels amazing. The energy rush was huge. It was really fun."
The Tigers (5-18, 3-8) had most of their fun in the third quarter, when they turned a 19-13 halftime deficit into a 29-27 lead entering the final period.
"We just came out a little bit flat," Love said. "We needed something to get us going, and we came back and fought back with a lot of heart. I thought our whole team just came out and played great at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth."
It was a great effort, a great effort. We gave ourselves a chance and we just couldn't come through in the end," WW South coach Rob Kroehnke said.
The beginning of the fourth was Love's time to shine.
"She saved us right there," Falcons coach Dave Eaton said. "She had 5 points and an offensive rebound, got a bucket and a couple of free throws. Love was the savior today."
Love's three-point play gave the first-place Falcons (17-6, 10-1) a 34-32 lead with 5:54 to play in the game. From there the Falcons made their free throws to pull away, hitting 14 of 17 in the fourth quarter, 23 of 27 for the game.
"We spend a lot of time shooting free throws," Eaton said. "That's something we really push."
Junior Katie Ottolin led the Tigers with 11 points. Senior Madison Goudy added 11 for the Falcons.
"I give them props," Love said of the Tigers. "They came out very hard. They made us pick it up and really come out and work for this win."