A team that eats together

For the women’s basketball team, collective team spirit is what keeps them going through their matches. The team works hard to actively live out their team verse, 2 Corinthians 12:9, and look to God for strength. Between practices and team dinners every night, junior Maggie Dansdill says she thinks they are “really starting to click as a team.” In their game against North Park University, the team was especially proud to support senior Chantal Meacham as she set a new record of 209 career three-pointers.
 
Last Wednesday, the women’s basketball team soundly beat Millikin after a three-game losing streak. The Thunder kept up their momentum and propelled their way through their game this Wednesday as they travelled to North Park University for what would be an obliterating victory against the Vikings.
 
The women’s basketball team wasted no time racking up points, leaving the Vikings hopelessly behind at 20-0 by the end of the first quarter. All throughout the second quarter, the Thunder continued to pound the Vikings. Ending the first half with a score of 46-14 with the Thunder in the lead, things looked bleak for the North Park Vikings. The Thunder kept the heat on them all through the third and fourth quarters. Senior Katie McDaniels led the Thunder with a game-high of 18 points and a perfect 10-10 for free throws, junior Kelly Lawsson contributing 17 points, senior Ellie Zeller scoring eight points, and sophomore Devin Kyler with a game high of six steals.
 
“We knew at that moment we just had to shut them down and not let them back into the game,” Maggie Dansill said. Although the Vikings made an attempt to gain back some points, the Thunder were soundly victorious with a finishing score of 85-42.
 
The Thunder returned Saturday night to play at King Arena against Carthage College, Thunder fans decked out in Wheaton colors for an “orange-out.” The Thunder had a rough start as the Lady Reds gained a 9-0 lead and later held that advantage until two minutes remained and the score stood at 11-4. Yet some remarkable three-pointers from McDaniels jump-started the team and allowed them to end the first quarter in an 11-11 tie.
 
Led by multiple three-pointers from Kelly Lawson and a fantastic 15-point streak from Katie McDaniels, the Thunder solidly finished the first half in the lead at 34-24. The Lady Reds were relentless and crept up to a 43-43 tie with the Thunder. From there, they traded points back and forth until the fourth quarter where McDaniels, Lawson, and Jill Berg helped bring the Thunder through to a satisfying 62-46 victory over Carthage College. Katie McDaniels scored a whopping career high of 35 points while Kelly Lawson added another 10 points and freshman Jill Berg added nine rebounds and three blocks.
The team will be playing at Illinois Institute of Technology on Wednesday, hoping to keep up their four-game winning streak.