Wheaton North holds off Conant

Wheaton North reeled off 17 straight points in the first and second quarters to claim a 34-21 victory at the Class 4A Glenbard West girls basketball regional semifinals in Glen Ellyn on Tuesday.

Conant senior center Chikere Oduocha scored the first basket of the game, but Wheaton North scored the next 6 to end the first quarter with a 6-2 lead. The No. 4 seed Falcons (19-6) led 17-2 midway through the second quarter when Conant senior forward Rachel Kutella scored a runner in the lane.

"We always talk about ball pressure and how it's key to us winning," said Wheaton North junior Caroline Gaither, whose steal and layup with 2:45 left in the game gave the Falcons a 31-15 lead, the biggest margin of the game. "It's just our defense and getting pressure on the ball. We always talk about how deflections lead to steals, so that's what gets us going offensively is our defense."

Isabella Tierney, a junior guard, led No. 13 seed Conant with 8 points and Oduocha added 7.

Ellie Hubbard scored 13 points to lead Wheaton North, and Julia Simon added 9 points. Simon also had 6 steals.

The win sends the Falcons into the regional final at 7 p.m. Thursday against host Glenbard West, the No. 6 seed in the Hoffman Estates sectional.

"It means a lot, because now we have some mojo going into Thursday and hopefully get the job done," Gaither said.