The Illinois women’s squad won the Writz Invitational Tournament last weekend, defeating the RIC Express and the University of Alabama women’s team, 42-25 and 54-35, respectively.

Sophomore Kathleen O’Kelly-Kennedy had her gall bladder removed on Nov. 22 and was cleared to play wheelchair basketball Dec. 1, the day before the Invitational, which was hosted by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Express.

“I was just cleared,” O’Kelly-Kennedy said. “I was advised that ideally I shouldn’t (play), but I was cleared, so I did.”

Alabama is considered a highly acclaimed opponent and one that will compete for the national title, so O’Kelly-Kennedy wanted to make sure that she did everything she could to give the Illini the best chance to win. She hadn’t played in two weeks.

“I really wanted to be part of (the game),” O’Kelly-Kennedy said. “I was in pain, but I kept going.”

O’Kelly-Kennedy played with bandages and padding on the front of her stomach. She felt good about her defense but said her shooting could have been better, and she felt more out of breath than usual. O’Kelly-Kennedy is not 100 percent recovered.

“My muscles are still tender and sore,” O’Kelly-Kennedy said. “I might have strained it in a fall (during the tournament), but I have Christmas to recover.”

She grabbed 10 boards in just over 36 minutes of play versus Alabama.

But O’Kelly-Kennedy isn’t the only injured Illini. Starting center Arley McNeney said she suffered a sprained index finger on her shooting hand at the beginning of the tournament, grabbing 10 rebounds against Alabama despite the injury.

Overall, head coach Mike Frogley was proud of the way the team battled, but saw the bigger picture, especially with regard to O’Kelly-Kennedy’s recovery from surgery.

“You have to put sports into context compared to overall life,” Frogley said. “You always try to incorporate life lessons when you go on the basketball court.”

Transitioning to the components of the game, Frogley believes there are three reasons that the Illini have been so successful.

“We have the smartest basketball players, we execute fundamentals of the sport and have by far the best strength and conditioning program in wheelchair basketball,” Frogley said.

Because of the competitive game against Alabama and the Illini lacking depth compared to last year, Frogley played only six players, and four of them played for 40 minutes.

McNeney believes the team is making great strides.

“We beat (Alabama) by 19 points,” McNeney said. “That’s a pretty great indicator of how things are working.”

McNeney also mentioned that guards Shelley Chaplin and Carlee Hoffman were the true stars.

“Shelley and Carlee took control of the tempo and kept everyone feeling confident,” McNeney said. “Because they projected confidence, it was easier for everyone else.”

Hoffman led all scorers with 26 against Alabama. In both games combined Chaplin had 35 points, 13 boards and seven assists, helping her take home the MVP honor.

Frogley was thrilled with the qualities of his athletes: O’Kelly-Kennedy’s and NcNeney’s toughness, Hoffman’s smart play and Chaplin’s aggressiveness. Frogley said Chaplin’s aggressive play caught opponents off guard.

The Illini have a 10-0 record.