Too much Toni for Waubonsie to handle

Toni Kokenis continues to impress.

The 5-10 junior point guard scored a career-high 27 points and added nine rebounds as No. 6 Hinsdale Central pulled away for a 53-40 victory over No. 24 Waubonsie Valley Tuesday night in nonconference clash in Aurora.

It was the second straight meeting between the two teams. Hinsdale Central (16-0) defeated the Warriors 40-35 on Dec. 27 to capture the title of the Bill Neibch Falcon Classic at Wheaton North.

"I'm not thinking about scoring points," Kokenis said. "It just happens."

What also happened was that when the Red Devils were tested, they responded.

Waubonsie Valley (12-3) had rallied from a 27-18 halftime deficit to tie the game at 33-33 on a coast-to-coast layup by freshman forward Keiera Ray with 7:06 to play in the game.

But Adabelle Ekechukwu scored on consecutive layups to trigger an 8-0 Red Devils spurt to give them a 41-33 advantage with 4:38 remaining. Waubonsie Valley never got closer than five after that.

Leading 45-39, Hinsdale Central - which made 17 of 19 free throws in the game, went 8-for-8 from the line in the final 1:05 to clinch the win.

"We didn't come out as strong as we wanted in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter we turned up the defensive intensity and stayed strong," Kokenis said. "In those (tight) situations we stay calm and patient, move the ball a lot and keep playing our game."

Kokenis, who hit her final 10 free throws after missing the first, had registered her previous career high in points at 25 in a 42-36 victory over Hersey in the Wheaton North semifinals.

Hinsdale Central's Katie Delaney had nine points and seven rebounds and Madison Whitley, who missed the semifinals and finals at Wheaton North with a fever, added eight points for the Red Devils.

Kiki McClellan added 10 points for the Warriors, who committed 19 turnovers. Ray finished with a team-high 23 points and added 10 rebounds.

 

"Toni's amazing and makes her teammates better," Hinsdale Central coach Morgan Kasperek said. "Plus Katie Delaney held (Waubonsie Valley 6-2 senior center) Rachel Bostick to one point and Madison Whitley came back and had her best defensive game of the year."