Collins comes through as Hersey tops Wheeling

Two 3-point baskets by Wheeling junior Chloe Drozdz and senior Nansy Velev in the first 44 seconds of the second half made things very interesting in Friday's Mid-Suburban East girls basketball opener at Hersey.

The Wildcats quickly pulled to within 24-22 after trailing by as many as 10 points late in the first half.

But the defending MSL champs had an answer. And her name was Emily Collins.

The 5-foot-7 junior guard, playing the role of key bench player early in the season, sparked an 18-2 run by scoring three baskets during the decisive rally which led to a 45-31 triumph for Hersey.

"They hit those two 3-pointers to start the third quarter," said Hersey coach Mary Fendley. "Then it was an 'Emily Collins' show - offensively and defensively - for much of our run.

"We went with Emily to start the second half because Maesyn (Benjamin, a Loras College recruit) was a little under the weather.

"Emily was picking up steals, rebounding and hitting shots. I think she turned it around for us in the third quarter and helped us create that cushion that allowed us to hold on in fourth quarter."

Collins' rebound layup followed by her steal and layup made it 28-22 just a minute after Velev made the big shot that got Wheeling (5-2, 0-1) to within 24-22.

Two free throws by senior Erin McGrath (16 reboubds, 10 points) and a rebound layup by her triplet Katie made it 32-22 a minute later.

The Huskies (4-3, 1-0) then capped the big run with Collin's 15-footer, a bank shot by Erin McGrath, a 16-footer by freshman Mary Kate Fahey, a bucket from Sydney Hemenway and 2 free throws to start the fourth quarter by Katie McGrath for a 47-24 advantage.

Those last 2 free throws and three others by Erin McGrath were Hersey's only points in the final nine minutes.

"I just feel lucky we had that nice cushion from the third quarter to survive that last quarter where we did not have a basket," Fendley said. "I thought Katie McGrath's defense was so good to hold No. 14 (Wildcats junior Nosa Igiehon) to 3 points. Because of that, I think they couldn't get going and that allowed us to have that good offensive third quarter. And Erin (McGrath) did a great job rebounding."

Collins led the Huskies with a game-high 11 points, including a key 3-pointer when she came off the bench in the first quarter to give Hersey a 12-5 lead.

"I like starting on the bench and being able to see what is going on in the game before I go in," said Collins, a first-year varsity player. "When they scored early in the second half, we just knew we had to work together and play defense."

Hersey senior Claire Rogowski, back from a shoulder injury, chipped in 8 points, including two big 3-pointers in the first half.

Fahey and Katie McGrath each had 6 points while Benjamin and Janine Boyan chipped in 2 points apiece.

The top scorer for Wheeling was Morgan Collar, who had 6 of her 8 points in the fourth quarter. Velev finished with 7 points followed by Christina Pierini (6) and Drozdz (5).

"I thought we played hard the entire game," said Wheeling coach Matt Weber. "The girls came out and did the things we asked them to do in the game plan. We did not shoot well. We had open looks that I thought were high percentage shots. We rebounded well. Credit Hersey. They made their open looks and executed at the free throw line."

"Sometimes shots are not going to fall - that's part of the game of basketball," added Velev, who runs track in the spring. "We've just got to keep pushing, playing as a team and having fun."

The Huskies' 18-2 run turned out to be too much for Wheeling to overcome although the Wildcats held Hersey to 5 points in the final nine minutes.

"We had an opportunity there in the second half," Weber said. "We came out with a lot of energy and hit a couple of big 3-pointers. Just a little adversity happened after that, and we did not handle it 100 percent the best way.

"But this is a learning process for us. It's early in the season. We're sitting at 5-2 and still in a good situation. We want to get better so we can reach our goals in February."

A steal and layup by Fahey, a 17-footer by Erin McGrath and a 3-pointer by Rogowski staked Hersey to a 7-0 lead it never relinquished.

"The good thing is we get to play them again and hopefully it will be different," Weber said. "We got the ball in the post and we got open outside looks. We missed a lot of shots and that's going to happen. It's a frustrating game where you are going to have off nights.

"Hersey is very balanced and has kids who can make outside shot and kids who can score inside. I thought they were very physical with us and that played to their advantage. They competed very well. They worked hard as they always do, and they are a very well-coached team."