Raketic's patience pays off for Bearcats

Updated: March 23, 2011 2:14PM

Wheeler junior Tijana Raketic never thought about giving up.

But she admits the first couple years really pushed her to the limit.

Raketic, who has started every game since her freshman year, was asked to play point guard her first two years on the varsity though her natural position is the shooting guard or small forward positions.

It was a necessary evil with the Bearcats having nobody else really able to run the offense.

So she felt overwhelmed at times.

Frustration set it in on a number of occasions.

But she pushed through it.

"It was tough coming in as a freshman with all the expectations," she said. "I played AAU and everything but high school basketball was an eye opener. The physicality and the speed are so much greater.

"So I hit the weight room after my freshman year when I saw how much bigger and more physical everyone was on the court."

The Bearcats won just seven games during the 2008-09 season. Wheeler improved to 11-12 last year, losing to Hanover Central in the sectional championship game, 44-36.

That's when help came.

Junior McKenzie Smith moved into the point guard position this season and gave Raketic the chance to move around more freely on the court.

"She's never been afraid to pass and she's never been accused of not wanting to pass," Wheeler coach Marc Bruner said. "But there were times when she was a little mother hen out there; she was more concerned with her teammates getting their shots and not looking for her own.

"But she has the ability to score and we've been trying to get that out of her the last two years so when McKenzie came along, it took the pressure off her and allowed Tijana to find her outside shot."

The difference was obvious as the Bearcats finished second in the Greater South Shore Conference and won their first sectional in four years. Wheeler defeated three-time defending champion Hanover Central to earn the right to play in Saturday morning's regional semifinal against Culver (23-1). The winner will play the Fairfield (17-3)-Garrett (22-2) winner at 6 p.m. CST.

Bruner said Raketic looked like a kid on Christmas morning when the team won the sectional crown.

"She's been there through the thin and now the thick of it," he said. "I don't think anybody was happier to win a sectional than her. She leads the team in assists and is one of the top steal leaders and she always draws the toughest defensive assignment.

"She can post guards up and take forwards on the dribble. She has one of the highest basketball IQs on the team and she plays all year long. She's a big part of the reason why we're here."

The 5-foot-9 junior knows there are still games to be played if the team wants to meet its ultimate goal, though.

"It was amazing," said Raketic, regarding the sectional title. "We've been so close every year so I was almost in shock at the end of the game.

"(Saturday's) game will be a tough one but we're striving for it. Winning that game will show just how good we really are."

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