Round Lake unbeaten after five
The girls basketball season is less than a week old, but Round Lake already has reached the 5-win mark.
The Panthers (5-0) won the Harvard tournament thanks to a pair of wins Saturday.
Labrenthia Murdock scored 15 points and Corrine Conrad added 9, as Round Lake concluded play by defeating Crystal Lake Central 58-18. The Panthers led 17-2 after the first quarter.
Round Lake began the day by defeating South Beloit 51-33 in the morning. Amber Phillips paced the Panthers with 13 points. Brittany Kucia added 12.
Round Lake trailed 19-16 at halftime, before outscoring South Beloit 22-3 in the third quarter.
LZ 48, Hononegah 45: Audrey Bauer's fastbreak layup with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter gave Lake Zurich its first lead of the second half, 46-45, as the Bears rallied for a win in their first of two games at Dundee-Crown on Saturday.
Olivia Allen fed the ball to Bauer, who led Lake Zurich with 14 points.
Peggie Parhas scored all 9 of her points in the fourth for the Bears, who trailed 37-32 after three. Allen also scored 9 points, while Lydia Bauer and Gabby Chapa each had 8.
Lake Zurich, which was scheduled to play Jacobs Saturday night, concludes the tournament Monday with an 8:30 p.m. start against Streamwood.
Prairie Ridge 62, Lakes 28: At Mundelein, Shannon Hennelly scored 19 points to lead the Wolves, who led 12-3 after one quarter and 31-13 at halftime.
Lakes (0-4) was led by Mandy Schellinger's 12 points. Nora Kenney added 7.
Buffalo Grove 72, Barrington 31: Buffalo Grove girls basketball fans got a good look at their Bison on Saturday afternoon.
So did Hall of Fame coach Tom Dineen.
He watched his starters race to a 22-3 lead over Barrington, paving the way for the second-stringers to share floor time the rest of the game as the Bison posted a 72-31 victory in a second-round game of the Bison Classic.
"I thought they (reserves) were great," said Bison sophomore starter Heather Nisbet, who chipped in 2 field goals in the third quarter and also had some key assists in the first half. "They didn't seem as nervous as in our opener (a 55-35 win over Grayslake Central on Thursday). They all stepped up and did a great job running the plays."
Senior Ellen Ayoub (17 points), senior Maggie Mocchi (14) and senior Allison Mocchi (10) were top scorers for the Bison starting five. Junior Kaitlin Hillner and Nisbet also contributed points.
The reserves were paced by freshman KC Dunne (11 points) and sophomore Stacey Lialios (8). Senior Allison Heissel, freshman Andrea DiPrima, freshman Kelly Mahoney and senior Katie Lee also helped keep the momentum for BG (2-0).
"I thought our younger kids really settled down in the fourth quarter and did some good things," Dineen said. "You can see they are going to be a big part of this team."
And so is 5-foot-11 Lauren Angotti, currently recovering from an illness which has sidelined her since the final two weeks of her all-area volleyball season.
"Lauren had a great summer for us and she is going to be a huge part of what we want to accomplish," Dineen said. "We are going to bring her back slowly. We just want to make sure she's healthy at the end of the season."
Dineen likes the way Allison Mocchi is recovering from the knee injury she suffered last March.
"She's moving very well," he said. "In our first game, it looked like she was moving as well as she has (since the injury)."
Barrington (0-2) was led by sophomore Emily Harris (10 points, 6 rebounds), freshman Shelby Whigham (6 points 3 rebounds) and junior Anna Kirchoff (5 points, 3 rebounds).
"Certainly, Buffalo Grove is better than us but we could have played better," said Barrington coach Babbi Barreiro. "We didn't have a hand in their faces. When you give the Mocchis and Ayoub open looks, they are going to hit the 3-pointers."
But Barreiro is still encouraged by her young team playing without senior Samantha Beach (sidelined for at least two weeks with a sprained ankle).
"We miss Samantha's senior leadership on the floor," Barreiro said. "But the other kids have to step up. Starting out against Maine South and Buffalo Grove, as young as we are, is awfully tough."
BG's defense was tough as usual, allowing Barrington to score unanswered buckets only once when freshman Sarah Mass and senior Kelly Pickering connected at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth.
"I'm still encouraged," Barreiro said. "I think we have the pieces that will be effective. We just need more experience and the kids have to dig down deeper."
-- John Leusch