Wachal's 36-point effort lifts Conant

With junior guard Jorie Wachal producing her fifth 30-plus scoring game of the season on Monday night, Conant advanced to the semifinals of the Class 4A Elk Grove girls basketball regional of the Schaumburg sectional.

Wachal it up the scoreboard with 36 points as the No. 16-seeded Cougars got past the No. 19 Grenadiers 45-35 in the play-in game. Conant next meets top-seeded Montini (27-2) at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The Broncos were ranked No. 1 in Illinois Class 4A for the most of the season.

“We know they're really good,” said Wachal, whose big night included five 3-pointers. “We got to play Fremd (current Class 4A No. 1) twice in conference so we know what's coming. We have to play hard and compete. That's all we can do.”

Elk Grove couldn't do much to stop the hot-shooting Wachal, who scored the first four baskets in the second half, including back-to-back 3-pointers, to put the Cougars in front 31-14.

“Conant is a good team and obviously Jorie is a great player,” said Grens coach Jen Guth. “We were trying to double team her but she kept going to the basket. Hats off to Conant and I wish them luck the rest of the regional.”

Wachal can do more than score. She had a nice assist to sophomore Ania Baker, who converted a layup in the third quarter which gave Conant (10-18) its biggest lead at 33-16.

Wachal's fifth 3-pointer of the game gave Conant a 38-22 cushion but the Grens battled to the end and got to within 41-31 on a 3-point play by senior Sarah Pauscher (7 points all in the second half).

The Grens had chances to get within double digits but missed shots or committed turnovers.

“That's kind of been how our season has gone in terms of a low-shooting percentage,” Guth said. “We've played good defense and have gotten high percentage shots but they haven't fallen.

“I'm really proud of the efforts the girls gave to the end. They could have folded when we got down by 16 points but they kept playing to the end.”

Senior Abbey Sloan scored 8 of her team-high 10 points in the first half while classmate Carly Crothers scored 6 of her 7 points in the fourth quarter.

The Grens kept the game close in the first half, and trailed 15-14 when senior Alex Masnica tossed home a 3-pointer with 5:35 left.

But Conant finished the half with a 6-0 run, getting a running 10-footer by Wachal, 2 free throws from Wachal and a nice baseline drive for a layup by sophomore Cate Fitzgerald just before the buzzer for the 21-14.

Wachal's scoring spree continued less than 10 seconds into the second half when Kate Heneghan found her teammate on the run for a layup that triggered a 10-0 run.

“We all know we have to be ready all the time because when Jorie's on like she was in this game, they will collapse on her and we have to be aggressive,” Heneghan said.

Cougars coach Deirdre Naughton liked how the supporting cast responded.

“Jorie had the majority of points but we had a good night moving the basketball around,” she said. “And that's what we wanted to do. We want to focus on getting good shots for our other girls, too, because that will open up things.”

The Cougars will be looking to move the ball well again today against powerful Montini.

“We didn't even think about them (Montini) because we were focused on this game,” said Heneghan, who had a 3-pointer in the first quarter that gave Conant a 7-3 lead. “They're a great team but we have to go into the game just worrying about doing the best at the things we do.”

“First and foremost, we have to be competitive,” Naughton said “We can't fear our opponent because of its ranking and record. We have to play fearless. It's not our first time against a higher-ranked opponent.”

The Grens finished their season at 4-22.

“We've just got to keep working as a team,” Guth said. “We've had some games where we shut down as a team. The focus next season will be on playing as a team and having better scoring distribution.

“We have some good young kids in the program so I am looking forward to next season. And we graduate eight seniors who stuck it out all four years in the program and gave it their all.”