Wheaton Academy falls in regional semifinal

Tied going into the fourth quarter of Tuesday's Class 2A Wheaton Academy regional semifinal, it seemed an upset was within reach for the host Warriors.

But top seed Walther Lutheran took control in the fourth quarter and grabbed a 34-29 victory in West Chicago to end the fourth-seeded Warriors' season.

"Definitely not our best game, that's for sure," Wheaton Academy coach Beth Mitchell said.

The Warriors (16-11) were troubled from the start because of foul trouble to 6-foot senior Sarah Drury.

"It was huge," Mitchell said. "She's been our go-to player this year, and our team is kind of built around her and Ally Witt. When she's not in the game it makes a big difference. I felt bad for her, especially being a senior. You hate to see a kid have to go to the bench early like that and foul out of the game."

Witt led Wheaton Academy with 13 points.

"She's always been a hustler. She always works really hard," Mitchell said of Witt.

Walther Lutheran scored the first 7 points of the fourth quarter, and Wheaton Academy never got closer than 4 points.

"To actually still be in the game as badly as we played says a lot about the character of this team. We battled," Mitchell said.

Isimeme Edeko scored 13 points and Melanie Ransom 12 for the Broncos, who made just 8 of 36 free throws.