Freshman Brooklyn Schilb’s 17 points, 9 rebounds not enough as St. Charles East falls to Waubonsie Valley

ELMHURST – Waubonsie Valley junior point guard Danyella Mporokoso is an elite basketball player.

After leading the Warriors to a Class 4A fourth-place finish by averaging 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.6 steals a game last season, the tough-as-nails Mporokoso is a must-see baller.

St. Charles East freshman Brooklyn Schilb is just starting her varsity journey, but she made a big impression Monday night, as well, in the season opener for both teams.

In the end, Mporokoso stole the spotlight with a game-high 25 points to lead the Warriors to a 77-61 victory over the Saints in the York Thanksgiving Tournament.

Mporokoso, who has 15 scholarship offers, said it was a good start for the Warriors.

“We want to get back to state again and we really want, as a team, to win our conference and all the tournaments,” Mporokoso said. “We really didn’t want to lose this game because we lost to them last season, which we don’t think we should’ve, so we really wanted it.”

On the other side, the 6-foot Schilb made a smashing varsity debut, introducing her tough inside game and athleticism to the Warriors to the tune of a team-best 17 points and nine rebounds. Schilb repeatedly attacked the glass for putbacks, dominating the middle over the smaller Warriors’ frontline.

“I’m really excited how we played,” Schilb said. “I thought we came out super strong and we never gave up. We worked hard these last few weeks in practice. The players have really helped me fit in with the team, so I was willing to do whatever was needed to win the game, whether crashing the boards or getting a stop on defense or whatever it was.”

The Warriors blitzed the Saints in the fourth quarter, with Mporokoso scoring 11 points, Lilly Newton tallying 13 of her 18 points, Maya Cobb adding five of her 13 points and Maya Peredo scoring five of her 11 in the final eight minutes.

“This was a resilient win,” Waubonsie Valley coach Brett Love said. “They beat us last year. That was one of our five losses. ... This was a big first game to be tested by St. Charles East. I’m glad that our girls were able to make adjustments.”

The Saints picked up 14 points from senior guard Corinne Reed, most notably on a deep 3-pointer to end the third quarter to pad the lead to 48-43.

“I told the girls not to have their heads down and we played great,” St. Charles East coach Katie Claussner said. “We had a first half with just too many turnovers and some nerves. We have a lot of young players and returners, so we knew there were going to be some nerves. We pulled it together. I think this was a great first game and we will continue to go from here and we’re excited for the season.”

The Warriors and Saints both battled tough all game, dealing with a physical game that featured several players tumbling to the floor, numerous non-calls and a fast tempo game with several rushed shots and turnovers.

The game also featured numerous momentum swings, from the Warriors jumping out to a double-digit lead in the opening minutes to the Saints mounting a big comeback and leading by five points to end the third quarter. The Warriors scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to pick up the win, including outscoring the Saints 20-4 in the final five minutes.

The Warriors’ 2-2-1 full-court press bothered the Saints in the second half.

“We switched our press and that made us more aggressive and got us a lot of steals,” Love said. “Our girls made good adjustments. I’m really proud of them.”