Wheeling triumphs at Elk Grove
Senior Kellie Kuzmanic hit some big baskets and free throws down the stretch and pulled down 13 rebounds to help Wheeling's girls basketball team gain its first win in the Mid-Suburban East.
Kuzmanic scored 7 of her 9 points in the final quarter while her freshman sister Deanna (5 assists, 5 rebounds) tossed in game-high 15 points for the Wildcats in a 39-34 victory at Elk Grove.
The Wildcats (5-15, 1-4) also received 7 points from Hannah Dobrowski and 6 from Leah Malsom.
Top scorers for the Grens (10-8, 2-4) were sophomore Melissa Solorio (13 point) and junior Diamond Boyd (8).
Solorio made 9 of 10 free throws while freshman Amber Lindfors pulled down 8 rebounds. Junior Kelly Naughton had 4 assists.
Wheeling outscored the Grens 16-8 in the final quarter.
Schaumburg 39, Conant 37: Sophomore Sarah Mazurek gave host Conant a 37-36 lead when she hit a 3-pointer in the final minute but the Saxons rallied for the win in the final 30 seconds.
Junior guard Amanda Kelly split defenders for a layup to give the Saxons a 38-37 lead and Alyssa Saklak added a free throw for the final margin.
Kelly finished with 13 points, all in the second half.
"Amanda Kelly took over in the second half," said Conant coach Dan Travers. "Allie Bauch played a great game for us. She kept Alyssa Saklak (7 points) under control and gave us a chance to win."
Jenna Gerber added 11 points for Schaumburg (10-10, 4-1) while Kelly Skorczewski added 6.
Natalie Kutrumanes led Conant (5-14, 1-4) with 13 while Mazurek finished with 10.
"Natalie (Kutrumanes) hustled hard and really competed for us," Travers added. "We just didn't finish at the end."
Palatine 53, Hoffman Estates 49: Katelyn Mayer (23 points), Nia Pappas (15 points) and McKenzie Wiedemann (14) led Palatine (12-8, 3-2) in the Mid-Suburban West.
Becca Stoczynski (18 points), Mary Pettit (14) and Destinée Young (14) paced visiting Hoffman (7-12, 0-5).
Maine West 56, Highland Park 44: Sophomore Brittany Collins scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as host Maine West improved to 7-12 and 5-1 in the Central Suburban North.
Senior Warriors guard Amanda Hoye (8 assists, 7 rebounds) tossed home 18 points, including 12 of 14 free throws.
Lena Munzer led Highland Park with 23 points, the same amount she had when the Giants lost to Maine West l53-47 last month in Highland Park.
"We forget to find No. 43 (Munzer) in the first half (when she scored 15 points)," said West coach Derril Kipp.
"Overall, we played pretty well. I just wasn't happy with our defense early. I thought we did a good job offensively. We just need to get the ball inside."
Senior guard Megan John (4 points) saw her first time since injuring her ankle at the Dundee-Crown tournament.
"I thought Julia Huinker (4 points) did a good job for us when she came in," Kipp added.
Alexia Prosperi had 4 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists for West while Ashley Collins grabbed 3 rebounds to go with her 6 points.