WHITING | There's no secret to how Whiting is going to succeed.
It is a perimeter-oriented team that likes to get out and score in bunches in a quick amount of time.
The Times No. 3 Oilers did that and more on Thursday night thanks to a devastating first quarter run that propelled them to a 53-21 win against Lake Station in the Greater Southshore Conference tourney semifinals.
The Oilers (16-2) started off slowly hitting five of their first 13 field goal attempts, but they turned it up in the last 2:30 of the first quarter by scoring 13 points during that stretch to highlight a 17-2 run to end the period.
The Oilers hit five consecutive shots at one point in the pivotal run, including threes from senior guards Abby Bondi and Mariah Aguilera and freshman guard Veronica Aguilera.
"We shot the ball really well," said Bondi, who scored a game-high 15. "We excel on the perimeter and have very good guards. This team has a lot of threats, so the opposing team can't just focus on one player."
Lake Station (5-12) went scoreless in the second quarter until Joanna Dwyer, who scored 10 of the 12 Eagle points in the first half, hit on a layup with 2:37 to go, as it committed seven turnovers in that quarter alone.
"Our effort was excellent. We've really tried to focus on the defensive end and we didn't allow Lake Station to get in its offense," Whiting coach Kevin Moynihan said.
After a combined score of 12 points by both teams in the third, Whiting put the Eagles away by ending the game on a 10-2 run.
"We made some immature mistakes and it's hard to come back from that," Lake Station coach Kristy Hite said. "We prepared a lot for them, but their pressure is what beat us."
Whiting will now play the winner of Bishop Noll and Wheeler on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Calumet for the conference tourney title.
"We're excited to be there and will do our best to bring it home," said Moynihan. "Whoever we'll play, we'll will have to put the pressure on them."
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