Detweiler, Kohler advance in 3-point shootout

NORMAL — Grayslake North junior Kendall Detweiler wasn’t worried about being in the first group of shooters here Thursday night for the IHSA’s Class 4A 3-point showdown at Redbird Arena.

“I like going first,” Detweiler said. “You don’t have to worry about everyone else. I’d rather be nervous for their shots than mine.”

Detweiler made 9 of her 15 shots as the sixth shooter in Class 4A, a total that held up through 26 more shooters and sent her into today’s finals. She will shoot against Rolling Meadows junior Alexis Glasgow (9), Bolingbrook senior Kamari Jordan (9) and Sandburg senior Rachel Ruzevich (11) today with the winner advancing to Saturday’s Queen of the Hill competition.

Detweiler had advanced to the Class 3A finals as a freshman and that experience helped her on Thursday.

“It took a lot of stress off,” she said. “A lot of these girls hadn’t been here before so I was more calm.”

Detweiler says today’s Class 4A finals will be a time to just have fun.

“I just want to relax, have fun and do well,” she said. “I’m happy to have made it this far.”

In Class 3A, Lakes junior Kelsey Kohler also made 9 of 15 to advance. She will be joined in today’s finals by St. Viator senior Hannah Scheller (9), Mascoutah junior Brittney Zipfel (8) and Timothy Christian senior Brittany Scheidt (8), who won a shootout over Chicago Jones senior Charlotte Giese.

“It’s very exciting,” said Kohler. “Coach (Pete) Schneider opened the gym for me a couple times and he helped me shoot. I just practiced my spots. I had a lot of confidence coming into this.”