It’s no coincidence that when a high school basketball team makes a postseason run, there is generally a solid point guard helping lead the way.
Oswego’s girls basketball team knows that all too well.
The Panthers were once again led by junior point guard Amri Wilder in Wednesday’s 59-32 Class 4A Plainfield North Regional semifinals against the host Tigers. Oswego will face West Aurora in Friday’s 7 p.m. regional title game as the Panthers are eyeing a deep postseason run.
“I thought Amri played really solid tonight,” Oswego coach Chad Pohlmann said. “I thought she controlled the game. She knew when to go to the rim. She knew when to give it up on the wing. I thought she really set the tone for us. She came out ready to go and played like a championship point guard.”
After a week-long layoff, Oswego (22-7) came out sluggish, but Wilder got things going. She had two buckets bracketing an Erin Sinnott three-pointer that she assisted on to open a 7-0 lead from the outset and the Panthers never trailed.
“We had to shake off a little rust,” Pohlmann said. “We came out slowly. We got after it defensively and made a few runs.”
A 17-3 run in the second quarter really put the Panthers in control of fellow Southwest Prairie Conference foe Plainfield North (11-16), a team Oswego beat twice during the regular season. Wilder hit a three-pointer to start that run, en route to a team-high 16 points. She also had a game-high eight rebounds.
“Always having her to lean on is so great,” Sinnott said. “We’re so thankful for her.”
Another 17-3 run in the second half put the game away for good.
Sinnott scored 13 points for Oswego. Sophomore Jordan Heberg paced Plainfield North with 16 points.
Oswego has now won 18 of its last 20 games heading into the regional title game. The Panthers’ opponent is a familiar one. West Aurora beat Oswego by five points in the second game of the season.
“We’re ready to get some hardware and go as far as we can,” Sinnott said.
