Waubonsie Valley takes Upstate Eight title

Becky Williford, all of 5-foot-2, isn't a girl who backs down from a challenge.

"Basketball is a physical sport," the Waubonsie Valley sophomore said. "You have to learn to keep your composure and not let it affect your game."

Williford and the Warriors were up to the task Wednesday, holding off St. Charles East 45-33 in a loosely called defensive grind in St. Charles.

In doing so Waubonsie (22-2, 9-0 Upstate Eight Conference) wrapped up an outright conference championship against its nearest pursuer.

"It feels like a big chip has been lifted off our shoulders," said Williford, who scored a game-high 14 points.

Waubonsie knew to expect St. Charles East's best shot. The Warriors beat the Saints 55-49 in December. St. Charles East (14-12, 7-3) needed a win and a Waubonsie loss to East Aurora on Friday to grab a share of the UEC title. On top of that, an all-senior Saints starting lineup was playing its last game on its home floor.

"Since we beat them that last time," Williford said, "we knew they'd be out to try to get us. I applaud them for that. They pushed us. Probably one of the toughest games we've played all year."

A runner by St. Charles East's Lexi Baltes tied it 15-15 with six seconds left in the first half. But Williford threw in a 3-pointer on the run as time expired.

Waubonsie carried that momentum into the third quarter. Keiera Ray hit a 3-pointer and scored on a baseline drive, and Tanysha Walls put in a basket off an inbounds play to make it 25-15.

"It's kind of a blow to the stomach," Baltes said, "when teams hit shots like (Williford's)."

St. Charles East never drew closer than 7 the rest of the way, becoming the fourth straight Waubonsie opponent held under 40 points.

"We keep playing defense like that, it's going to get us where we want to be," Waubonsie coach Kim Connell said. "Our offense comes and goes, but defensively right now we're dead on."

Waubonsie sophomore Erica Jordan, who Connell calls her best defensive player, credited assistant Dave Saurbaugh for preparing the Warriors.

"Saurbaugh works us hard in practice," said Jordan, who also had 7 points Wednesday. "Our defense comes a lot from him. He's showed us a lot. We're thankful and glad to have him."

Walls scored 8 points and Tami Morice had 7 points and 8 rebounds for Waubonsie. Baltes scored 9 points and Steph Roan 8 for St. Charles East.

"We're two defensive teams, which you could tell by the style of this game. It made for an interesting game," Baltes said. "This is a tough loss. But we're going to learn from it and come out strong in regionals."