February 15th, 2022-
Girls Basketball:
2/7 vs St. Edward: Entering the final week of the regular season WA girls basketball hosted the Green Wave of St Edward. St. Edward entered the game with an impressive 18-11 record including 11-1 in MSC conference play. After a strong first quarter, WA jumped out to a five-point advantage. Despite not winning another quarter the rest of the game the five-point advantage held up as WA would hold on to an impressive 40-38 win over one of the conference's top teams. Junior Jillian Paulson led the way for the Warriors with 15 points and 9 rebounds. The win was the 14th of the season for the Warriors and improves their record to 14-9 and 8-3 in conference play.
2/9 vs Ridgewood: Thursday's girl's basketball matchup inside the Warrior Dome brought an end to the 2021-22 regular season in the perfect way. On a night in which the Warriors honored their five seniors, they also pushed their late-season win streak to four with a big win over Ridgewood. A back and forth first quarter saw WA take a 14-10 lead after one. In the second quarter of play, the girls put Ridgewood in a hole they couldn't recover from as they held the Rebels to just three second-quarter points. Despite an evenly played second half the Warriors held on for a 46-32 win. Jillian Paulson and Emma Tate, 12 points each, combined for 24 of the Warriors 46 points on the evening. The win sees the girls push their win streak to four games entering Saturday's Regional Quarterfinal. The Warriors finish the regular season with a 15-9 record, including 9-3 in MSC play.
2/12: IHSA Quarterfinal vs Mendota: WA girls basketball opened up postseason play in the Regional Quarterfinal when they hosted Mendota. The Warriors enter the postseason as the 6th seed in the Somonauk sub-sectional. Mendota, the 12 seed, made the long trip to West Chicago on Saturday night with the upset in mind. For the first three-quarters of the game, the upset seemed like it could be on the cards. An evenly played first half saw the score all square at half 14-14. An 8-0 run to open the second half gave WA the second-half lead and it was all they needed. With the game still close entering the 4th quarter, WA finally broke down the stingy Mendota defense. In the 4th quarter, WA nearly eclipsed their entire point total from the first three quarters, outscoring the Trojans 24-5. Though close for most of the game, the Warriors pulled away in the end winning by a score of 49-26. Three Warriors were in double figures, led by Emma Tate and Jillian Paulson with 13 points each. Freshman Lexi Rojek also chipped in 10 points. With the win, the girls advance to Monday's Regional Semi-Final at Somonauk High School. There they will take on fellow MSC member, and 3rd seeded, Aurora Central Catholic. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm.
Boys Basketball:
2/8 @ Riverside Brookfield: WA boys basketball hit the road Monday night for the first of three straight road games this week when they took on Riverside Brookfield. The bulldogs entered Tuesday's game with an 18-4 record (8-1 MSC) and one of the top-ranked teams in the state. The Warriors came out of the gates slow as they gave up 30 first-quarter points and trailed by 17 points after one quarter. The next three quarters saw the play be much more even but it wasn't enough for WA to close the gap as they fell 86-67. Despite the lopsided loss, the Warriors shot 56% from the field including 57% from 3-point territory. Three Warriors scored in double figures, led by Cole Andrews with 20 points. Sam Dykema and Noah Richcreek each scored 11 and 10 respectively. The loss drops the Warriors to 13-11 and 4-5 in conference play.
2/9 @ Aurora Christian: Playing their second game away from home in as many nights WA boys basketball traveled to Aurora to take on Aurora Christian on Wednesday night. Aurora Christian, out to avenge last week's 14 point loss at Wheaton Academy, came out of the gates strong, jumping out to a 26-12 lead. ACS would keep their foot on the gas over the next three quarters running away to a 61-42 victory to split the season series. It was a tough shooting night for the Warriors who made just 30% of their field goals. Junior Sam Dykema led the Warriors with 9 points. The loss is the Warrior's second straight and sees their record fall to 13-12 and 4-6 in MSC play.
2/11 @ IC Catholic Prep: WA boys basketball completed their third road game of the week on Friday night when they traveled to Elmhurst to take on IC Prep. The Knights, 16-11, entered the game looking to avenge a 9 point loss at Wheaton Academy back on January 14th. The Warriors came out of the gates fast as they jumped out to an early lead but they weren't able to sustain any momentum from it. The boys stayed within striking distance but ultimately fell by 9, 54-45. The loss is the third straight for the Warriors and drops their record to 13-13 and 4-7 in conference play. The boys return home Monday night when they host Peotone on Senior Night. Monday's game is the first of the final three regular-season games of the season for the Warriors.
