Girls Basketball: West Aurora cruises past Glenbard East

Updated: February 9, 2012 10:12PM

Often on senior night, a head coach inserts five seniors into the starting lineup to honor their efforts for the team.

West Aurora coach Connie Siljendahl could not put a starting five of seniors out on the floor, since the young Blackhawks have only four seniors. But one of the quartet, Alexis Nelson, scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half to lead West Aurora to a 56-31 victory over Glenbard East in the regular season finale for both schools.

The triumph enabled the Blackhawks to claim third place in the DuPage Valley Conference. They will enter the postseason with a 14-11 record overall, 8-6 in the DVC.

“We were a little out of sorts tonight, with senior night going on,” said Siljendahl. “But I was proud of the way we hung in there. The girls started rebounding better after the first quarter, and that helped get our running game going. We had a little lapse in the middle of the season when we didn’t play well, but they’ve responded well down the stretch.”

The Rams never led or posed a serious threat, but they hung around long enough to close the deficit to 33-23 early in the fourth quarter on two free throws by Kelly Eberle (8 points).

But that’s when Nelson went to work. She took a skip pass from freshman Alexis Wiggins and nailed a three-pointer with 5:42 remaining. She proceeded to hit two foul shots, score on a drive off a Wiggins steal, hit another trey, and knock down two more free throws. Her 12 points in the final six minutes came without missing a shot.

“It was a little depressing at first,” said three-year varsity performer Nelson, about playing her final game on the Blackhawk court. “It took me a while to get going, but in the second half I came out strong. It’s been great to meet new people, play with my teammates, and just have fun.”

While West Aurora’s shooting was off and on, defense and rebounding were the difference against the Rams (1-25 overall, 0-14 conference). The Blackhawks pulled down 37 rebounds, and 19 of those were on the offensive glass. Remarkably, Wiggins, a 5-foot guard, led West Aurora with seven rebounds.

On the defensive end, the Blackhawks forced 27 turnovers, which made it difficult for Glenbard East to get into its offense (14 of 46 shooting from the field). The Rams went scoreless for an eight-minute stretch that started late in the first half.

While Wiggins scored only five points, her presence was felt with outstanding ball-handling and play-making.

The Blackhawks will have to continue to rebound well in the postseason, as they face a tall Downers Grove South squad on Tuesday night at the Bolingbrook regional. A victory in that game would likely result in a collision with two-time defending champion Bolingbrook.

Sophomore Abriya Zeitz supported Nelson with 11 points, six rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot. Senior guard added seven points for the Blackhawks.

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