(Sugar Grove, IL.) – Waubonsee Community College women's basketball team opened the 2025-2026 season by hosting perennial power Rock Valley College. The Chiefs (0-1) kept pace with the Golden Eagles (2-1) throughout most of the contest before the visitors built a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and then held on to win 77-71 and spoil Waubonsee's home opener. Rock Valley outscored the Chiefs 40-22 in the paint and owned a 61-47 edge in rebounding for the game.
Rock Valley, with a definitive height advantage at nearly spot on the floor, utilized that edge early in the first quarter to score three inside baskets while taking a 6-3 lead. Anna-Marie Godina splashed a triple from the top of the key for Waubonsee's first points of the season. The Chiefs then raced ahead 11-6 midway through the quarter highlighted by a pair of baskets by Savannah FitzSimons. The Golden Eagles pulled even at 14-all on a three-pointer by Amadea Montijo before Godina answered with a trey to just beat the shot clock. The fast paced first quarter ended with Waubonsee holding a 20-16 lead.
The Chiefs maintained a four-point cushion until Niallie Evans buried a three-pointer from the left wing to give Waubonsee a 27-20 lead three and a half minutes into the second period. Rock Valley responded with a 10-2 run to jump ahead 30-29 with three minutes to go until halftime. The Chiefs regained the lead a minute later before the Golden Eagles knotted the score at 33-all on a pair of free throws by Montijo with half a minute to go until the break. The teams headed to the locker room deadlocked at 33 as Waubonsee made 10 of 12 from the line to offset Rock Valley's 15-5 edge in offensive rebounds.
The second half started in a similar fashion to the first as the Golden Eagles scored three inside baskets to go ahead 39-33. A pair of triples by Serenity Evans and Josie Larson helped keep the Chiefs within striking distance. However, Rock Valley's DeNiya Gary drilled a three from the left corner to extend the visitor's lead to 46-39 midway through the third quarter. Samantha Kerry connected from long range to cut into the deficit before the Golden Eagles answered with a three of their own to grab a 51-42 lead. Chiefs' head coach Jim Williams called timeout to try and stop Rock Valley's momentum. But the Golden Eagles were still able to push the deficit to double digits after that, leading by as many as a dozen points. Highlighted by another trey by Godina in the waning seconds of the period, Waubonsee rallied to pull within 54-49 heading into the fourth.
Rock Valley built its' lead back up to 12 points on a three pointer by Alyssa Morris with six minutes remaining. Waubonsee continued to chip away and pulled within 65-59 on a three-point play by Niallie Evans a minute later. A driving lay-up by FitzSimons that resulted in a three-point play with three and a half minutes to go cut the deficit to four points. The Chiefs got as close as three points a short time later as Rock Valley clung to the lead. FitzSimons then buried a three with 1:45 to go to make it a one possession game at 71-68. Waubonsee had a chance to tie the game with a minute to go, but a three-pointer was off the mark. The Golden Eagles made seven of eight free throws down the stretch to secure the road win.
Larson paced Waubonsee's balanced attack booking 18 points and grabbing five rebounds before fouling out late in the game. Niallie Evans added 13 points and handed out five assists, while FitzSimons tallied 10 points and snagged seven boards. Kerry also scored 10 points and hauled down six rebounds as four Chiefs reached double figures in points. Godina almost gave Waubonsee a fifth double-digit scorer, finishing with eight points. Danielle Bulson dished out six assists and corralled 10 boards, and Serenity Evans chipped in with seven points. The Chiefs are in action again this coming Saturday, November 8, when they host Harper College starting at 1:00 p.m. The men's contest between the Chiefs and Hawks is set to begin at 3:00 p.m.
