Waubonsie Valley ends St. Charles East's run

Waubonsie Valley finally found a way to get rid of St. Charles East.

It wasn't easy, but the Warriors did what top-seeded Hinsdale Central and No. 8 Lyons Twp. couldn't, defeating the unseeded Saints 55-49 Tuesday night in the Bill Neibch Falcon Holiday Tournament semifinals at Wheaton North.

The fourth-seeded Warriors (12-1) take on No. 3 Hersey at 7:30 p.m. today for the tournament championship. The Saints (9-5) play No. 2 Elk Grove for third place at 6 p.m.

Waubonsie Valley started poorly, making just 2 of 16 shots in the first quarter and falling behind by as much as 7 early in the second. It was just a slow start, Warriors coach Kim Connell said.

"Not that we didn't come ready to play, but we're pretty much a team that likes playing against (man-to-man defense)," she said. "So they threw a zone at us and it takes us a little while to adjust."

Waubonsie Valley adjusted, taking the lead for good in the second quarter and pulling away from its Upstate Eight Conference rival by as much as 13 on a Tami Morice 3-pointer with 1:52 left in the third quarter. Then foul trouble, a game-long problem, finally had an effect when Warriors point guard Becky Williford went to the bench with her fourth.

"I don't even know how to explain those fouls," said Waubonsie Valley sophomore Keiera Ray. "They were unneeded fouls. Not smart on our part."

Still, the Saints couldn't take advantage of the foul situation, making only 14 of 24 free throws even as two Warriors fouled out.

"That's the one thing I'll look back at and we'll learn from," Saints coach Lori Drumtra said, "as far as when you've got a team on the ropes like that with fouls, you've got to go for the jugular."

The Saints cut the lead to 3 on a Lexi Baltes 3-pointer with 6:33 to go, but Williford returned to the game, and the Warriors scored the next 8 points.

"We're disappointed because you get so close to the championship game," Drumtra said. "It was a close game. It was a pretty good, close game. We're going to finish strong, that's what we want to do."

Ray scored a game-high 18 points, and Williford and Tanysha Walls added 11 each. Senior Kara Schnier led the Saints with 15 points, Baltes scored 14 and Steph Roan 10.