(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's women's basketball team closed out their Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) schedule with a convincing 69-53 win over visiting Oakton Community College. The Chiefs (21-5, 10-2) finish second in the ISCC standings, with both of their league losses coming to undefeated champion Morton College. Waubonsee has one game remaining in the regular season before this Sunday's seeding meeting for the upcoming Region IV Division II Tournament.
Against the Owls a long three-pointer from the right wing by Janiece Thomas put Waubonsee in front 5-2 in the early going. The game remained close throughout the first period as the Owls (18-6, 6-5) tied the game at 13-all on a three-pointer by Nessa Walsh. A minute later Brooke Heiman went coast-to-coast as she snagged a rebound, went the length of the court to score and was fouled. The freshman from Shabbona converted the three-point play to stake the Chiefs to an 18-13 lead after one period.
Waubonsee led by as many as nine points on three different occasions the first half of the second quarter. Oakton stayed within striking distance until the final minute of the half as Delani Kosner made three free throws to extend the lead back up to seven points at 35-28. A baseline drive and basket off the glass by Heiman just before the buzzer sent the Chiefs to the break leading by nine points once more.
Waubonsee, in similar fashion to what the Chiefs' men's team did earlier in the evening against Oakton, took control of the game early in the second half by going on a 15-2 run to start the third quarter. The Chiefs ended the period with a commanding 55-36 lead, out scoring the Owls 28-8 in the third quarter overall.
In the previous meeting on February 5 in Des Plaines, the Chiefs had to sweat it out in the final minutes before holding on for a 70-67 triumph. This time there would be no fourth quarter scare by Oakton to worry about. Waubonsee led by as many as 24 points early in the period before the Owls scored five straight points. Thomas then drilled a long three-pointer from the left corner midway through the quarter to make it 69-45 in favor of the home team. Oakton scrambled to get the deficit down to 16 points with a minute left in regulation, but that was as close as they would get.
Heiman led Waubonsee with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Kosner booked an all-around game with 17 points, eight boards, six assists and three steals. Thomas and Jaylynn Vana both tallied double-doubles as Thomas registered 12 points and a dozen rebounds. Vana scored 11 points and hauled down 10 boards to go along with five assists and four steals.
Coach Jim Williams' Chiefs finish the regular season tomorrow, Saturday, February 19 when they host Triton College (22-3) starting at 1:00 p.m. (CDT) in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. The game can be seen live at https://vimeo.com/waubonseeathletics. A listing of upcoming events and athletics information is at www.GoChiefs.com