Reedy, Glenbard West roll past Waubonsie Valley
Glenbard West didn't wait long to snare its first victory of the girls basketball season.
The Hilltoppers used a big second quarter to roll to a confidence-building 60-33 home victory Wednesday against Waubonsie Valley in the season opener for both teams.
"It's great for the girls," said Hilltoppers coach Karen Persinger, whose team struggled last year. "They've been working really hard these last two weeks. They've put in a lot of preparation, and to see that pay off for them and have that kind of start to the season is really great."
Glenbard West (1-0) led 11-5 after one quarter, then poured it on in the second to take a 32-11 halftime lead.
Turnovers were a problem for the Warriors, who struggled against Glenbard West's full-court trap. The Hilltoppers forced 21 turnovers in the first half, 33 for the game, and scored off many of them.
"We put that in trying to change the tempo a little bit and the style of play," Persinger said. "We did a lot of nice things out of it."
The Warriors (0-1), with only junior guard Abbey Glavin back from last year's team, just need more time to learn to handle the press, Warriors coach David Owles said.
"I think it was a case of this is the first time we're facing a live press," he said. "We don't press that way so in practice when you try to simulate something you don't do, you don't necessarily do a very good job of it, and obviously they're very good at what they do. It took us a while to get used to it, to adjust."
Patience will be required for all the Warriors new to the varsity level, especially the 10 underclassmen.
"We know that's how it's going to go for a little while," Owles said. "It's brand new for 15 of the 16 girls. ... There's a lot of girls making a big jump, so this was kind of a hey, welcome to the spotlight moment."
Waubonsie Valley saw improvement in the third quarter, when they outscored the Hilltoppers 18-17.
"I think you saw overall we were more comfortable in the third quarter. We kind of got past the 'omigosh moment' and sort of settled in a little bit," Owles said.
Junior guard Catherine Reedy led Glenbard West with 20 points.
"I thought she played well," Persinger said. "I really thought for the most part everybody played well. The guards were able to move the ball and take advantage. We got a lot of nice open looks, some of which went. Catherine knocked a few down. Some of which didn't go down but we got what we want to get out of the offense."
Sophomore guard Sammy Harris added 8 assists and 6 steals for the Hilltoppers.
Freshman guard Dajour Miles was the scoring leader for Waubonsie Valley with 11 points.
"She did a good job," Owles said. "She's just got to learn to play within herself. She's very fast, very quick. She was playing in middle school last year, so there's a lot to adjust to."
Follow Orrin on Twitter @Orrin_Schwarz