Wheaton North coach Chris Northrop felt the game slipping away in the second half Saturday and decided he needed to stem the tide–or at least find someone to control it. That was when he looked to his seniors.
Senior guard Jodie Baker hit a three-pointer with under 2 minutes remaining to give Wheaton North (3-16, 1-7 DuPage Valley) a three-point lead against No. 16 Wheaton-Warrenville South. Then after two defensive stops, Wheaton-Warrenville South fouled Emily Nihill (12 points), who hit two free throws with 20 seconds left to seal host Wheaton North’s 57-52 upset of the Tigers.
“We were rushing our shots and we had to get our composure back,” Northrop said. “Jodie hitting that three really made a difference. She’s a senior captain hitting baskets–that’s what wins games.”
The victory over its crosstown rival broke an eight-game losing streak for Wheaton North, which recently welcomed back Nihill from an injury that kept her sidelined for two weeks.
“We were playing pretty well during Christmas,” Northrop said. “But when Emily went down, we lost our momentum. Now that she is back, we have been playing much better, and this win will give us some needed confidence.”
Charliss Ridley’s 16 points led South, which fell to 18-4 overall and 5-3 in the DuPage Valley.
Marshall 65, East St. Louis Senior 23: No. 1 Marshall (21-0) rolled behind Cappie Pondexter’s 18 points.
Loyola 69, Maria 42: No. 2 Loyola (22-1, 8-0) clinched the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division title as Olga Gvozdenovic hit 12 of 15 shots en route to 24 points. Lori Carrillo led Maria (18-7, 5-2) with 14 points.
West Aurora 48, Naperville North 38: No. 8 West Aurora (19-3, 9-0) stayed perfect in the DuPage Valley behind Jackie Shook’s 15 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks. Shannon Sweeney of Naperville (6-17, 3-6) had 19 to lead all scorers.
Warren 72, Mundelein 31: No. 15 Warren (20-3, 8-1) rolled in the North Suburban on Kathy Huntington’s 18 points.
Glenbrook South 50, Regina 31: No. 11 Glenbrook South (21-3) won the non-conference matchup as Susie McCreery (17 points) hit all five shots from the field and seven attempts from the free-throw line. Regina dropped to 7-19.
Benet 56, St. Viator 22: No. 13 Benet outscored St. Viator 23-2 in the second quarter and cruised in the East Suburban Catholic. Mary Ellen Schaefer paced the Redwings with 14 points.
Conant 56, Prospect 35: Jennifer Pettyjohn totaled 26 points, eight steals and eight rebounds to guide No. 14 Conant (21-1, 5-1) in the Mid-Suburban South. Junior Casey Buckstaff (eight points) of Prospect (8-12, 2-4) left in the third quarter with an ankle injury.
Waubonsie Valley 61, Lake Park 32: Ashley Luke scored 22 points, including 15 on three-pointers, and had six assists for No. 19 Waubonsie (18-4, 9-0 Upstate Eight). Carlin Chesick scored 14 for Lake Park (9-14, 4-6).
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Glenbard West 41, Hinsdale Central 31: No. 20 Glenbard West (18-4, 8-0) scored the game’s final 10 points to break a 31-31 tie, using eight by Kristi Faulkner (25 points), in the West Suburban Silver victory. Laura Barnard’s 10 points led Hinsdale Central (14-6, 7-2).
Batavia 55, Glenbard South 53: Batavia (12-4, 5-2) rallied from five points down in the fourth quarter to edge Glenbard South in the Suburban Prairie Red. Katy Issel led the Bulldogs with 17 points.
Elgin 53, DeKalb 38: In the Upstate Eight, Ramona Aguado paced Elgin (10-11, 8-2) with 21 points and six rebounds.
Fremd 49, Barrington 34: Lynell Davis totaled 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks for Fremd (14-6, 4-2), which led 20-9 at halftime and coasted in the Mid-Suburban North. Nicki Eason scored 11 for Barrington (4-15, 1-5).
Good Counsel 75, St. Benedict 67: Bridget Carlson totaled 34 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and six steals as Good Counsel (19-3, 6-1) clinched the GCAC White championship.
Hoffman Estates 52, Elk Grove 24: Hoffman Estates (9-9, 4-4) cruised in the Mid-Suburban South on Lindsey Giannone’s 12 points.
Illiana Christian 48, Luther South 37: In the Private School League, Caryn Boer’s 20 points led Illiana (16-4, 8-3). Janet Henry had 20 for Luther South (12-10, 1-10).
Lake Forest 64, North Chicago 40: In the North Suburban, Janie Hodgkinson scored 25 points for Lake Forest (16-5, 7-2).
Libertyville 59, Zion-Benton 29: Allison Farrington scored 24 points to lead Libertyville (13-7, 8-1) in the North Suburban. Zion-Benton dropped to 3-16, 0-9.
Naperville Central 44, West Chicago 40: Naperville Central (13-9, 8-1) stayed a game behind DuPage Valley leader West Aurora thanks to 10 points apiece from Rebecca Traen and Laura Dodsworth. Leslie Harlson totaled 17 points for West Chicago (10-10, 5-4).
Nazareth 53, Walther Lutheran 34: Nazareth (17-4, 10-1) went on a 16-0 run in the third quarter for the Private School League victory. Danielle Moles (19 points) led the Roadrunners.
Resurrection 63, Queen of Peace 53: Annie Mendyk’s 17 points led Resurrection (14-9, 4-3) to the GCAC Red victory.
St. Ignatius 59, New Trier 52: Michelle Shaughnessy had 19 points and Meaghan Quane 18 as St. Ignatius (12-10) prevailed in non-conference play. Brittany Larson’s 18 paced New Trier (10-11).
Schaumburg 49, Rolling Meadows 34: Schaumburg (14-6, 6-0) won in the Mid-Suburban South behind Kristen Stewart’s 19 points. Jaclyn Jares had 13 for Rolling Meadows (12-6, 3-3).
Timothy Christian 59, Luther North 54 (3 OT): Timothy Christian (12-10, 6-5) rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to tie in regulation. Rachel Boerema scored four of her 11 points in the third overtime to spark the Trojans to the Private School League victory.
Waukegan 54, Glenbrook North 31: In the Central Suburban crossover, LaQuitla Evans scored 21 points for Waukegan (10-11).
Willowbrook 57, Hinsdale South 54: Linda Bracker scored 18 points as Willowbrook (15-9, 7-2) prevailed in the West Suburban Gold. Corinne Pahr scored 17 for Hinsdale South (17-2, 7-2).