Wheeling turns revenge into share of East title

Losing can be a blessing in disguise. It can both teach and motivate.

Back on Jan. 15, the Wheeling Wildcats were 16-2 and had only 1 loss in the Mid-Suburban East. The Wildcats went to Buffalo Grove to face their conference rival and were upset 49-47.

Tuesday night the Wildcats had a rematch with the Bison (8-18, 3-6) and had revenge on their mind.

"(The loss) was huge motivation," said Wheeling senior guard Stephanie Kuzmanic.

"We were disappointed the first time," said Wheeling coach Shelly Wiegel. "We had a lot to prove."

The Wildcats (23-4, 7-2) backed up their coach's words and played with a purpose by rolling to a 70-44 victory as they clinched a share of their third straight MSL East title. They took a one-game lead on Hersey and Elk Grove and can clinch it outright by beating Rolling Meadows on Friday.

Wheeling jumped out to a 15-4 first-quarter lead. And when BG junior Andrea DiPrima hit a pair of 3s to cut the Wheeling lead to 17-12, Wheeling responded with an 18-5 run to close out the half.

"The defense was tough in the first half," said Wiegel. "We played aggressive and smart."

No one played smarter and harder than senior Janelle Cannon. The Minnesota recruit scored 17 points in the first half to set the pace for the rest of her team.

"We played a full 32 minutes," said Cannon. "We didn't stand around. We got open and made our shots and free throws."

Cannon (24 points, 11-for-12 free throws) had a lot of help on both the offensive and defensive ends.

In the second half, Cannon looked to create more for her team, and they worked hard to get open. Kuzmanic (14 points) and fellow senior Bianca Szafarowicz (20 points) led the way offensively for the Wildcats in the second half, and senior forward Larissa Aguero (8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) hit the ground after loose balls and rebounds.

With only two regular season games remaining, Cannon likes the position her team is in and with Tuesday's victory.

"This win gives us more motivation going into the playoffs," Cannon said. "It will keep us on the right track."

From the tip to the final buzzer, the Wildcats kept the pressure on the Bison and turned their turnovers into easy buckets in transition.

"DiPrima kept us in it early," said BG coach Pat Dudle. "But we can't turn the ball over and expect to win.

"We need to play with more pride if we want to make a run in the regional."

DiPrima (14 points, 4 3s) and KC Dunne (9 points, 5 rebounds) led the Bison.