Oswego East senior Sydney Schultz walked slowly, her assistant coach helping her to the bench midway through the first quarter Tuesday.
No worries, though.
“It was just a little thing,” said Schultz, a Missouri State recruit. “It took like one minute and then I’m OK.”
That brief breather, it turned out, was all that could slow down Schultz.
Schultz had 23 points and nine rebounds, while Ty Battle added 19 points, seven rebounds and five steals as the Wolves rolled past West Aurora 73-40 in the season opener for both teams in Aurora.
Schultz and Battle are both posts, but they don’t need their guards’ help to get Oswego East’s fast break cranked up.
They sure didn’t Tuesday.
Time and again, Battle or Schultz would grab a defensive rebound and start the Wolves’ running game with a long outlet or their own dribble. Both are skilled, and both can run the floor like smaller players.
When the Wolves turned up the tempo, West couldn’t keep up.
Oswego East’s 14-0 run started by a free throw by Battle and capped by a score in transition by Schultz turned a 9-9 tie into a 23-9 lead.
“That’s the advantage we have with those two — they run the floor like guards,” Oswego East coach Abe Carretto said. “The nice thing with Schultz and Ty is they can dribble a little bit better and they can just go. Our guards don’t have to get open. They can just go with it.”
Schultz showcased the full package.
She finished in transition on multiple occasions and scored off putbacks. Later she created for herself, pump-faking and scoring on a baseline drive.
“Trying to get myself ready for college,” Schultz said. “The biggest thing is our speed. All of us can run no matter what size we are.”
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Schultz and Battle are the Wolves’ stars, but a few new teammates look ready to help.
Freshman guard Christine Corpuz started and scored five points, and sophomore guard Kaili Chval was a defensive spark off the bench.
The one to watch is junior guard Amaya Johns, a transfer from Plainfield North. She scored 11 points with a smooth-looking offensive game.
“She has a knack for scoring,” Carretto said. “Those other players will contribute. We’re not close to being as good as we can be.”
West Aurora feels the same way.
The Blackhawks, who graduated 3-point ace Carley Frauenhoff, look like they have another good shooter coming through the pipeline. Sophomore Keva Tomas scored 15 points on five 3-pointers.
“We’re hoping to see great things from her shooting,” West coach Connie Siljendahl said. “We just have to get her open.”
The Blackhawks had no answer for Oswego East’s size, but Siljendahl liked how they hung in there.
“Kayla Battle just fought for every little thing down there,” Siljendahl said. “Her and Teryn Griffin did well, they just got tired. (Oswego East) is just very good.”
Joshua Welge is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News.