Repeat twice as nice for Wheeling
After 34 years without a Mid-Suburban League girls basketball championship, Wheeling finally won one last year at Schaumburg.
The Wildcats must have enjoyed the experience because they repeated it Wednesday night with a 49-30 triumph over Hoffman Estates, snapping the Hawks' 19-game winning streak.
This time, the Wildcats won the title in their own gymnasium before an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 1,000.
The big turnout, which included the all-conference players from the East and West divisions plus the Wildcats' band, saw a close game for nearly 31/2 quarters.
But the state-ranked Wildcats (No. 9 in Class 4A) showed why they earned the lofty ranking with a tenacious 15-0 run starting at 6:49 of the final quarter and lasting until Megan Bernardoni hit 2 free throws for Hoffman with 1:36 left in the game.
By that time, the Wildcats (27-1) had built an insurmountable 43-25 lead.
Mid-Suburban West player of the year Megan Fischer opened the fourth quarter with a 3-point play that brought the MSL West champs (24-3) to within 28-23 with 7:19 left.
But MSL East player of the year Ashley Wilson answered with a putback of her own miss, kicking off the big run that included 4 steals.
Junior Janelle Cannon (13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists) and Wilson each had steals which they converted into layups during the scoring flurry.
"We just picked it up on defense," said Wilson, who collected 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 26 minutes. (She missed time in the first half because of foul trouble). "We weren't moving the ball well in the first half. We were settling for a lot of jump shots.
"In the second half, we started moving better without the ball and getting better shots."
Fischer's 3-pointer from the baseline brought Hoffman to within 10-9 after one quarter.
A baseline drive by Alex Wulbecker got the Hawks to within 16-13 in the second quarter.
But Wheeling closed with baskets from Cannon and Bianca Szafarowicz (10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals) for a 20-13 advantage at the intermission.
"We knew they would come out tough and would want revenge from the first time we played (also a 19-point win by Wheeling on Dec. 2 at Hoffman)," Cannon said. "We started out slow, but we picked it up with our defense and steals."
Fischer finished with a team-high 10 points and 3 assists.
"It was an amazing game until the start of the fourth quarter," she said. "Then they got on a run and we didn't have enough stamina to get the job done. But it was a real good three quarters."
"You know what?" said Hawks coach Mike Nocella. "We've got that bug off our back now (19 straight wins). We ended that streak and now must start a new one. I feel that if we keep playing like we did this game, there won't be too many teams who can beat us.
"We made two silly passes that gave them easy layups and got them going. And that kind of put us back on our heels."
Stephanie Kuzmanic added 8 points for the Wildcats, while reserve Selma Smajlovic scored 4 in the final two minutes.
"Stephanie Kuzmanic gave us a lot of momentum with her steals and defense," Wiegel said.
"The big crowd was great, but a little nerve-racking at first," Kuzmanic said. "But then we got used to it."
Bridgette Gray's free throw with 2:31 left in the game gave Wheeling its biggest lead at 43-23.
"We talked about not being in a hurry and taking what they gave us, especially when we got the bigger lead," Wiegel said. "Obviously things were a little different with Ashley out for some time in the first half. When a team is in a zone, we just a have to be patient."
Jada Stotts and Megan Evans (2 blocked shots) led Hoffman with 5 rebounds.
"I was proud of my kids," said Nocella, whose team is the first to hold Wheeling under 50 points all season. "They battled. It was an honor to play in the game. They worked hard to get here."