(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's women's basketball team hosted South Suburban College on Sunday afternoon in Erickson Hall Gymnasium in a make-up game from December. Both the Chiefs (7-20) and Bulldogs (3-19) were playing for the second straight day, each coming off road losses. However, Waubonsee was able to gradually wear down South Suburban and pull away for a 77-52 victory.
A minute into the game Kaila Schlinger got the Chiefs on the board with an inside basket before the Bulldogs' Demiah Hawkins answered with a three-pointer. Annika Bielskis then quickly tallied a triple of her own before South Suburban tied it at 5-all. Not long after that Ashleigh Wackerlin scored on an inside bucket off a great pass from Angelina Schlinger and Waubonsee never trailed again. Bielskis hit a pair of three-pointers as the Chiefs built a 13-6 lead midway through the first quarter. Katelyn Curtis also booked a couple treys to help Waubonsee secure a 25-14 lead at the end of period. Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter as the Chiefs went scoreless the first five minutes and South Suburban tallied only four points during that span. Curtis hit another three-pointer, her third of the game, before the Bulldogs' Janiyah Watkins scored three times to keep the visitors within striking distance at 30-24 with a minute to go until halftime. Waubonsee eventually carried a 32-26 lead into the intermission.
Bielskis drilled her fourth three-pointer of the game on the Chiefs' first possession of the second half. Waubonsee continued to keep the Bulldogs at arm's length, holding a 43-32 lead midway through the third stanza. Angelina Schlinger then drove through traffic and scored on a running, one-handed scoop shot. South Suburban got as close as nine points before Ellie Baum connected from long range to make it 48-36 Chiefs with two minutes remaining in the quarter. A minute later another Baum 'bomb' extended Waubonsee's lead to 17 points. Bielskis buried another triple moments later to cap off a 13-2 Chiefs run and make it 58-38 heading into the final period. The Chiefs maintained at least an 18-point lead throughout the fourth quarter as Wackerlin took over. After a bucket by Angelina Schlinger, the 5'10" sophomore from Hinckley-Big Rock High School scored 14 straight points before Baum finished off the scoring with her third trey of the game. Waubonsee finished with 42 points in the paint and compiled 27 assists as a team.
Coach Jim Williams got contributions from all seven players that were dressed. Wackerlin led Waubonsee in scoring with 26 points, connecting on 13 shots all within 10-feet of the basket. Bielskis finished with 17 points, including five baskets from beyond the arc, to go along with five assists. The sophomore guard now has 76 three-point baskets on the season and is eight away from the Chiefs' single-season mark of 84 set by Sarah Grams during the 2014-2015 season. Bielskis is also tied for seventh nationally among all NJCAA Division II players in three-pointers this season. Curtis and Baum each contributed nine points each, both connecting of a trio of three-point shots. Curtis also handed out three assists, while Baum dished out four assists. Angelina Schlinger recorded nine assists and hauled down 12 rebounds, with her sister Kaila tallying seven points and securing nine boards. Ma'Liyah Hodges handed out four assists and snagged seven rebounds in the win. Watkins paced South Suburban with 30 points, while Hawkins registered a big double-double with 18 points and 26 rebounds.
The Chiefs have three more games scheduled for this coming week. Waubonsee is on the road this coming Tuesday and Thursday when they travel to the College of Lake County and Moraine Valley Community College for Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference matchups. The Chiefs then host McHenry County College on Saturday, February 24, to close out the regular season. The Scots and Chiefs are set to tip-off that afternoon at 1:00 p.m. (CDT) with the men's contest scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. (CDT).