Wildner likely to return for Mother McAuley

The news wasn't all bad last weekend for Mother McAuley, which lost back-to-back games, to Stevenson and Marian Catholic, and also lost senior forward Margaret Wildner with what was feared to be a season-ending knee injury.

"Luckily, she didn't tear her ACL," Mighty Macs coach Karen Ade said. "She had X-rays, and it's just a really bad bruise, sprain, and she's out for two to three weeks. That's a lifesaver for us."

Wildner suffered her misfortune during the first quarter of the Macs' 55-25 loss to Stevenson.

"She was on a fast break and went up for a layup and got hit in midair," Ade said. "She heard a pop, and it popped back in when she fell."

Wilder, who will play in college at St. Xavier, is the leading scorer for McAuley this season, averaging 9 points per game. She is 3-of-7 from 3-point range.

"She's one of our go-to kids," Ade said. "When she went down I think the kids kind of were in awe for a little bit. It wasn't our team, that's for sure."

While they're waiting for Wildner's return, the post will be manned by Tatiana Ingram and Sydney McPhillips, the latter of whom is a promising volleyball player.

The Macs are 1-3, but the Stevenson game aside have been competitive. They beat Bogan in an season-opening battle, and in their first game at Maine South took Hersey to overtime before falling

73-70. Without Wildner, McAuley lost to Marian Catholic 56-48.

"The (Hersey game) was a real, real good game for us," Ade said. "The kids just really played hard, really competed. That's the frustrating part about (Stevenson). We saw how our kids can compete and play, and then to turn around and have a game like that one is heartbreaking. But they're learning. We'll get there."

New Hawk helper

One of the early pleasant surprises for Hillcrest coach John Maniatis is seeing the success of junior Jahmia Phillips.

The 6-foot-2 post player is averaging 7.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and together with 5-11 senior Yolanda De La Torre gives the Hawks (3-1) a solid 1-2 presence around the basket.

"They work in stations together at the beginning of practice and love to compete against each other," Maniatis said. "They also like to team up and go 2-on-2 against other teammates. Jahmia has come a long way since her freshman season on the freshman level. Yolanda has definitely been an influence in her expanding her game."

According to Maniatis, Wichita State, Evansville and Long Island University are among the Division I schools showing a strong interest in Phillips.

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