Waubonsie Valley faces tough tests
Kim Connell is ready for her Waubonsie Valley team to be challenged.
It comes this week and next.
The sixth-ranked Warriors are 4-1 in January, all 4 wins by double figures with the lone hiccup at South Elgin.
Tonight, Waubonsie (17-3) plays host to 14th-ranked Streamwood, with No. 3 Bartlett paying a visit Thursday and No. 17 Neuqua Valley next Thursday.
"We're looking forward to see if we've made some steps forward," Connell said. "Lately we've been content with where we've been. We still need to put together four good quarters against quality opponents."
Waubonsie juniors Tami Morice and Becky Williford are both nursing injuries. Morice hurt her upper ribs against Oswego and has a shoulder strain, while Williford is dealing with a tailbone issue.
"They're injuries that the only thing that will heal them is rest," Connell said, "but we don't have time to rest. They just have to fight through the pain."
Redhawks' unsung hero?:
Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum, always quick with a noteworthy statistic, pointed out after Saturday's win over Wheaton Warrenville South that the Redhawks are 12-1 since their Thanksgiving tournament with junior guard Jill D'Amico in the lineup. The lone loss came to Fenwick.
D'Amico might not get the notoriety of teammates Emma Ondik and Emma Donahue, but there is no disputing her impact.
D'Amico is third on the team in scoring at 8.9 points per game and shoots just under 75 percent at the free-throw line. Her value can't just be measured in numbers.
"She's just a good basketball player," Nussbaum said. "She's not Ondik, but she's a good shooter and she likes driving to the basket. She's a tough player and a tough defender. When Jill is not there Emma is in sole charge of the ballhandling load. Jill's presence takes a lot of pressure off Emma."
D'Amico, also a standout soccer goalkeeper, has missed four games this season because of soccer commitments. She was clearly missed in Naperville Central's worst loss of the season, at Waubonsie Valley in December.
D'Amico hit a huge 3-pointer in the Redhawks' biggest win against Marian Catholic hit a big 3 in Saturday's win over WW South and had a highlight-reel assist to Donahue for the go-ahead basket in a win over West Chicago.
"Her presence really balances our team," Nussbaum said.
2012 McDonald's Shootout:
It's never too early to look ahead.
Jim O'Boye, the creative force behind the McDonald's Shootout, said he has invited Waubonsie Valley and Wheaton Warrenville South to next year's event. Montini will also return. Another new addition will be Streamwood.
Special night at Hinsdale South:
Thursday night's Hinsdale South home game with Downers Grove South will be a special one.
The Hornets will do their part to support the "Love for Lisa" campaign. Lisa Goldsher, a 2005 Hinsdale South graduate and all-conference player as a junior, was diagnosed Oct. 18 with Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Now living in California, Goldsher is three months into her treatments at UCLA Hospital in Los Angeles and this week received news from doctors that they believe the cancer is in remission. They plan to keep Goldsher for eight more treatments.
On Thursday, the Hinsdale South basketball team will wear violet-colored ribbons and shoelaces.
The violet ribbon is the official symbol of unification for Hodgkins Lymphona.
Donations will be taken at the door. Thursday is also Senior Night and Hinsdale South's final home game.
"One I told the kids about what happened they wanted to help out," said Hornets coach Jen Belmonte, who was a senior at Hinsdale South when Goldsher was a freshman and later coached her during the summer. "It's really remarkable to see how our kids have come together for this. Everybody walks by and sees Lisa's picture on the wall at school every day. It hits close to home."
Those that can't make it Thursday can send donations by check to Steve Schwartz c/o Love for Lisa at 580 Carlisle Ave., Deerfield, Il. 60015 or online at http://bit.ly/fC7b3P.
A Love for Lisa Benefit will be held Jan. 29 at This Must Be The Place, 206 Main St. in Lemont.
Panthers close, but no cigar:
Glenbard North, still seeking its first DVC win, has come painfully close against the conference's top teams of late. Two weeks ago. the Panthers (4-16, 0-9) lost by 8 to Wheaton Warrenville South, and then took a lead into halftime against conference leader Naperville Central.
On Saturday, Glenbard North led defending DVC co-champion Wheaton North 40-34 with two minutes left in Wheaton. But the Panthers turned the ball over on four straight possessions and lost 42-40.
"Saturday it seemed like we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory," Glenbard North coach John Chamberlain said. "We just have to play through those situations, go back to the drawing board and try again."
Chamberlain has seen growth from his younger kids. Katie Wisniewski, a 6-foot-2 center, is "hunkering down the middle" and fellow sophomore Kailey James scored 8 points on 4-of-4 shooting Saturday.
Senior guard Jackie Jacobs is rounding into shape after a torn ACL she suffered in December 2009, and Carson Jones scored 12 points Saturday.
"We're improving, and playing with everybody. The last hurdle is a mental one learning how to win," Chamberlain said.
"The mindset we have is that although we haven't won a game in conference, there's no reason why we can't beat these teams."
DiVito achieves milestones:
Immaculate Conception senior Allie DiVito achieved two milestones last week.
DiVito, who played her first two seasons at Driscoll, scored her 1,000th career point.
She also hit her 176th career 3-pointer, becoming IC's all-time leader in 3-pointers made. DiVito also has 256 career steals.