WW South rolls past Naperville North

As a coach, Naperville North's Jacquie Discipio couldn't have enjoyed the beating her team took Thursday.

But the fan in her sure appreciated the way Wheaton Warrenville South plays.

"They are just relentless they make it look so easy," said the Huskies coach. "And their shooting is ridiculous."

The No. 7 Tigers indeed put on a basketball clinic in Naperville, shooting 61 percent in the first half and leading by as many as 43 en route to a 69-41 win.

WW South coach Rob Kroehnke is never one to relax, but even he could sit back and enjoy this one.

His Tigers (7-0, 2-0 DuPage Valley Conference) have a big two weeks ahead, with a home game versus Naperville Central on Tuesday before the Benet/Naperville North Tournament.

"It's the effort we were looking for," Kroehnke said. "We had a week off since our last game and we want to keep building on what we've started."

Sophomore point guard Meghan Waldron had 22 points and 5 assists, and Kasey Gassensmith scored 19 points 31 of their total coming in the first half. The way the Tigers keep the ball moving and cut through an opponent's defense so quickly is indeed a thing of beauty.

"We've all played with each other for a year," Gassensmith said, "we know what each other's strengths are and we know where we're going to be all the time. And Meghan, she's really coming into her own this year. That year of varsity experience makes a difference."

WW South led 6-5 two minutes into the game, and a 15-0 run from there put the game away for all intents and purposes. Gassensmith found Waldron for a backdoor layup to start it off, Waldron hit a runner, Gassensmith scored in transition and Waldron hit a long jumper from the top of the key. A Gassensmith pull-up 3-pointer made it 21-5.

Kroehnke knows his team can score in bunches, but it's the other end where the Tigers can go to the next level.

"Defensively, our effort was fantastic," he said. "We answered the bell."

"The quicker we are on defense, the better our defense is," Gassensmith said. "As our defense gets better so will our offense."

Discipio sensed a long night very early. The Huskies (3-5, 1-2) were playing without point guard Zoe Swift, who didn't practice this week but did dress Thursday and could be back next week.

"Wheaton South set the tone tonight right away," Discipio said, "and we were scrambling. They are clearly the best team we've faced all year. It's the best Wheaton South team I've seen in a long time."

Maggie Dansdill added 10 points and 11 rebounds for WW South, whose rotation will only deepen next week with the return from injury of juniors Allie Zappia and Dana Miller. Shannon Bushman scored 13 points and Kathleen Hahne 12 for Naperville North.