Simon, Wheaton North steal win from Glenbard South

Wheaton North senior Julia Simon may be known more for her soccer talents, but her quickness and ball sense translate well on the basketball court.

"It's a lot easier to anticipate everything because the ball is right there. There's the little moves that people do," Simon said.

On Monday, the Louisville women's soccer recruit tied the varsity school record for career steals with 7 that were only part of the Falcons' effective defensive pressure that set the tone for a 67-42 victory at Glenbard South.

The Falcons (2-0) had 17 of their 29 steals in the first half to amass a 37-16 halftime advantage. With Friday's 60-31 victory over Naperville Central, they've also reached 60 points in both of their victories.

"Defensively we're super fast, really athletic and we've got a lot of kids," Wheaton North coach Dave Eaton said. "We just have a lot of speed and athleticism and we're trying to use that to our advantage. We're still not there yet."

Simon, now with 207 career steals, even added a career-high 14 points while junior guard Claire Hyde collected a game-high 24 points with two 3-pointers. Wisconsin softball recruit Ellie Hubbard added 8 points.

"Relentless and (Simon) has such a great knack for the game where she sees the floor really well," Eaton said. "Obviously a tremendous athlete and what she can do up front defensively really sort of allows everybody else to do what they do."

"It's just always been a funny joke that I've never been a basketball player," Simon added. "But playing basketball just makes it so much fun, to get that little steal. I probably reach a little bit too much but it works out. We pride ourselves in our defense."

Glenbard South senior guard Lauren Cohen, an Illinois State recruit, had 20 points with 2 threes along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists. The Raiders' other returning starters also contributed as Alex Wilharm had 8 points and 5 rebounds and Iman Sellars added 5 points. Freshman starter Sofia Alcala also had 5 rebounds.

Glenbard South lost its opener Friday to Glenbard East 50-39 after leading 15-10 following the first quarter.

"We just kept making the same mistakes over and over again. For a team like us that really needs to control the tempo and control the defense, it takes you a while to establish your stuff. It's a very different game, what they do versus what we do,"said Raiders coach Morgan Eufrasio. "We just kept making the same mistakes over and over again. For a team like us that really needs to control the tempo and control the defense, it takes you a while to establish your stuff. It's a very different game, what they do versus what we do."