(Sugar Grove, IL.) – After a slow start the Chiefs rallied to knock off visiting Prairie State College in overtime 72-66. Waubonsee trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half before rallying in the third quarter. At the end of regulation the teams were knotted at 63 before Waubonsee outscored the Pioneers 9-3 in the extra session. The Chiefs improved to 14-8 overall and 6-2 in Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) play to remain in second place in the league standings.
The Chiefs came out flat, falling behind the Pioneers 9-2 at the outset. Prairie State, who entered the game just 8-12 overall and 3-4 in conference play, continued to push the tempo and led 20-11 at the end of the first period. The Pioneers took their biggest lead of the game at 23-11 early in the second quarter before Waubonsee began to get on track offensively.
A three-pointer by Emily Uplegger in the final seconds of the second quarter got Waubonsee within 31-25 heading to the locker room at halftime. The Chiefs kept chipping away at that modest deficit in the third quarter until they finally took the lead on a fast break lay-up by Katie Beebe to go ahead 39-38 with four minutes left. A three-pointer by Hayley Farren and another by Uplegger propelled the Chiefs to a 47-40 lead. Waubonsee entered the final period leading 47-43 after outscoring the Pioneers 22-12 in the third quarter.
Waubonsee's biggest lead in the final period was five points, and neither team had more than a two-point cushion in the final four minutes. There were also five ties in the fourth quarter, as each team had chances to grab the win in the final minute of regulation. Beebe made the first of two free throw attempts with 0:45 to go to put the Chiefs in front 61-60. When Beebe misfired on the second charity toss, Kayla Battle then snagged an offensive rebound. However, the Chiefs committed a turnover giving the Pioneers the ball back with 0:25 left. Prairie State's Caitlin Marshall, who led all scorers with 26 points, nailed a three-pointer with 0:16 remaining to give the Pioneers a 63-61 lead. Maddie Kawall was then fouled on a drive to the basket with 0:03.4 to go sending her to the foul line. The freshman guard calmly nailed both free throws to tie the game once more and send things into overtime.
In the extra five-minute period Uplegger and Farren each connected on shots from beyond the arc to help the Chiefs grab a five-point advantage. Prairie State ran out of gas, missing their final seven shot attempts as Waubonsee pulled out the victory. For the game the Chiefs committed 26 turnovers, which the Pioneers turned directly into 25 points. Waubonsee overcame that by winning the rebounding battle 46-37 for the game.
Beebe finished with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 17 rebounds to go along with four steals. Four other Chiefs also reached double figures in scoring as Uplegger and Jasmine Shepard each booked a dozen points. Farren tallied 11 points and snagged seven boards and Kawall chipped in with 10 points. Battle handed out five assists and hauled down eight boards, while Alexia Nicolai dished out five assists as well.
The Chiefs are in action again this Saturday, February 9 when they host Oakton Community College in ISSC action. Jim Williams' women's team is set to play the Owls beginning at 1:00 p.m. while Dave Heiss' men's squad takes the court at 3:00 p.m. (CDT). For more information on Waubonsee Athletics go on-line to www.GoChiefs.com