Caudle leads collectively impressive effort for Vernon Hills

Earlier this season, the Vernon Hills girls basketball team lost a close game at Grant.

And that didn't sit well with freshman forward Kayla Caudle.

"Losing to them last time kind of motivated us to step up," Caudle said.

Caudle also had another motivation Saturday afternoon in leading Vernon Hills to a 38-34 come-from-behind victory over the Bulldogs.

She thinks about her mother Ruth often when she plays basketball. But Caudle did so even more than usual since the game was a "Pink Game" that served as a fundraiser in the fight against breast cancer.

The Cougars wore special pink uniforms, wore pink socks and pink headbands. The referees used pink whistles, both coaches wore pink, and even the programs were printed on pink paper.

"My Mom passed away from cancer four years ago and her birthday was (Friday)," Caudle said. "I was playing for my mom today. It was really emotional and that kind of motivated me throughout the game to play as hard as I could for her."

Ruth would have been a proud Momma.

Caudle scored a game-high 18 points and was a force on the boards with 10 rebounds.

The win improves Vernon Hills to 12-10 on the season and 5-4 in North Suburban Prairie Division play. Grant drops to 12-10 and 6-3 in the Prairie.

"Kayla is doing really well for us in all facets," Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said of Caudle. "She gives us a very good scorer inside. And she's unselfish. If she doesn't have something, she's finding a teammate for an open shot. She's been fantastic. And a lot of teams have been trying to (double) her."

Vernon Hills couldn't buy a basket early, and was behind 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. Caudle had the Cougars' only field goal on 11 total attempts for the team from the field.

Grant opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run to extend its lead to 13-3, but then Caudle went to work. She scored 9 second-quarter points to help Vernon Hills take a 16-15 lead into the halftime locker room.

Grant had a strong third quarter and re-gained the lead and started the fourth quarter up 28-27. Grant senior guard Jasmine Sangster scored 9 of her 11 points in the third quarter.

Senior guard McKaylie Krey, who also finished with 11 points, added a big bucket in the third quarter as well.

Grant clung to small leads early in the fourth quarter but some costly turnovers over the last couple of minutes allowed Vernon Hills to pull even, and then ahead.

"It was a close game in the second half that could have gone either way," Grant coach Kathie Swanson said. "And we didn't respond well in terms of mental toughness. When one thing didn't go so well, it kind of hurt us on the other end of the court."

Junior guard Becky Bahlmann (6 points) helped the Cougars seal the win with 4 fourth-quarter free throws.

"I think it was our turnovers, we just didn't handle the pressure well," Krey said. "The last time we played Vernon Hills, I think our energy was more up. I think they wanted it more than us this time."

Krey says that she's wanted to be more offensive-oriented lately. Normally a facilitator and ball-handler at point guard, Krey has been looking for her shot more.

"My New Year's resolution was to score more and be more confident in my shot," Krey said. "That's what I've been doing. My goal for tonight was to get 10 points and I got 11. So that's good, I guess. My senior year, I want to make it a good year, so I want to do more for the team."

Meanwhile, the Cougars were excited they could do something for the community. Normally, their annual pink game raises about $500 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

"About six years ago, we did a pink game and a fan loved it so much and decided to anonymously donate pink uniforms for our girls to wear," said Brettner, estimating the cost of the donation was about $1,000 for 15 uniforms. "It's really nice that we can do this, and just about every kid has some connection to this, knows someone who has been affected by cancer.

"So they really like to do this game and wear the pink uniforms. I think that gives them some added energy. The whole thing is just a great tradition for us."