Heady play helps Weyhrich, Hersey past Wheeling
About the only thing that could slow down Kelly Weyhrich's momentum on Friday night was on top of her own head.
While dribbling late in the final quarter, the sophomore's white headband slipped down and was around her neck, resulting in an official to stop the action.
Once Weyhrich put the headband back in place, she completed a heads-up game - her finest in high school - which helped the Huskies post a 61-45 girls basketball triumph at Wheeling in the Mid-Suburban East contest.
Weyhrich scored a career- and team-high 15 points (with two 3-pointers) and had 8 assists as Hersey improved to 14-5 and 4-1 in the MSL East, one game behind state-ranked Prospect (17-1, 5-0).
Even more impressive, the feisty 5-foot-2 point guard did not turn the ball over.
"It was probably Kelly's best game," said Hersey coach Mary Fendley. "She had super ballhandling and beautiful passing."
It seemed like Weyhrich never missed an open teammate.
With the game tied at 16 early in the second quarter, she made two crafty back-to-back passes for assists to senior Annie Korff, who converted for a layup and a 12-footer in the lane which put the Huskies ahead for good at 20-16.
Hersey trailed 6-5 early but Korff, who had three 3-pointers all season, hit back-to-back from long range to give the Huskies an 11-8 lead.
"Those were really momentum changers," Weyhrich said of her teammate's 3s. "This was a game that gives us even more of a confidence boost that when we know when we work together, we can play really well."
After two free throws by senior Deanna Kuzmanic (game-high 24 points) got Wheeling (15-5, 2-3) to within 26-23 late in the first half, the Huskies were able to gain some more momentum heading into intermission.
Sophomore Gina Miklasz (5 points) tossed home a 3-pointer and Weyhrich sank a 12-footer in the lane as time expired to give the visitors a 31-23 advantage.
The Huskies extended the lead to 36-26 early in the third quarter thanks to junior Maggie Berigan's short bank shot off an assist from Weyhrich and then a 3-pointer by Weyhrich.
"Credit Hersey," said Wheeling coach Matt Weber. "No. 20 (Weyhrich) did a great job distributing the ball, making free throws (7-of-10) and hitting shots. They also had a ton of other contributors, and that was the difference in the game."
Berigan finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Korff finished with 12 points. Sophomore Claire Gritt had 9, including a nifty backward 7-footer from the baseline which made it 49-39 with 3:39 left in the game. Juliette Vainisi's 6 points included one of the Huskies' three 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Wheeling senior guard Hannah Dobrowski (7 points) had a 3-pointer to start the third quarter before Hersey went on a 9-2 run.
"We just didn't get into an offensive flow the entire game," Weber said. "Hersey forced us to make quick decisions and we just didn't get into a flow. Defensively, we weren't doing a good job communicating."
Fendley was quite pleased with the Huskies' team defense.
"Jules (Vainisi) and Gina (Miklasz) each played well taking turns on Kuzmanic," she said. "Every single kid contributed significantly."