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Girls Basketball: After fast start, Waubonsie holds off Naperville North
Updated: November 22, 2011 10:50PM
Waubonsie Valley needed every bit of the 17-point cushion it built during the first five minutes of its game Tuesday with Naperville North, especially when the Huskies started draining three-pointers from all over the floor in the second half.
But the No. 7 Warriors never let their lead get smaller than 51-34 with 5:37 remaining to play, improving to 2-0 with a 61-43 victory over Naperville North in the second round of the Lady Warhawk Thanksgiving Tournament in Aurora.
Tami Morice (six rebounds) led four players in double figures for Waubonsie Valley with 17 points, including a three-pointer with 2:25 remaining in the first quarter that extended the Warriors’ lead to 17-0.
“It was a good start, and we just should have kept going,” Morice said. “But the box-and-one (defense employed by Naperville North) kind of slowed us down a bit. Everybody had to switch positions and all that. I thought we did good in the beginning. We pulled out a win, so it’s good.”
Six-foot-3 center Rachael Ross added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who also got 12 points from junior guard Gratia Brooks and 10 points and seven rebounds from Erica Jordan.
“Everybody contributed,” Morice said. “We kept moving the ball, opening up the post for Rachael and Tia. Erika kept driving and Shannon (5-7 freshman guard Hohman) was doing good moving the ball for a freshman.”
However, early foul trouble that sent Jordan, Brooks and Morice to the bench in the second quarter allowed Naperville North (1-1) to hang around. Shannon Bushman’s (20 points) steal and basket with 7:13 remaining in the game cut what had grown to a 24-point lead to 48-31.
“Defense has been the staple of this group since they were sophomores,” Waubonsie Valley coach Kim Connell said. “It’s our strength when we have all of our parts on the court. When we get in foul trouble early and we have the parts on the bench, sometimes it breaks down a bit.”
Among the players who were forced to see extended minutes for the Warriors were freshman Taylor Ameri and sophomore Ryaen Johnson.
“In the first half, the two (Hohman and Ameri) played like freshman and Ryaen played like a sophomore, but I told them at halftime that they’re growing up quick,” Connell said. “They’re good players and they’ll get it. They’ll fill in and they’ll give us some good minutes. They’ll get it.”
Lauren LoLordo scored six points for Naperville North.
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