Panthers show their medal at R-B

They got another win, another championship.

And, this time, medals.

Round Lake girls basketball coach Gary Edge snapped a picture of his smiling players wearing their championship medals after the Panthers held off pesky Grayslake North 38-32 at Richmond-Burton on Saturday morning.

Round Lake (13-2) finished 5-0 in the Woodstock/Richmond-Burton Holiday Tournament. It was the second tourney title for the Panthers, who won at Harvard to open the season, although they took home only a small plaque.

Edge thinks it's the first time a Round Lake basketball team, boys or girls, has ever won two tourneys in one season.

"It feels pretty good," said guard Jazzamin Rivers, who had 6 points, including 2 clutch free throws down the stretch, and 7 rebounds. "Whether we got one of these (medals) or not, we're 13-2 and we won our tournament. That's all we're happy about."

Labrenthia Murdock led the Panthers with a game-high 14 points, while Amber Phillips grabbed a game-best 13 rebounds.

"They work," Edge said of his players. "We're not the fastest or smartest or whatever, but we work at it."

Round Lake led the entire game and enjoyed a 31-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. But Grayslake North (6-8, 3-2) used a 9-2 run -- sparked by a couple of baskets from Lauren Erickson -- to get back in the game.

A pair of free throws by Elizabeth Phillips (team-high 8 points) got the Knights within 33-30 with 1:49 left, but the Panthers answered, as Murdock penetrated before dishing off to Christina Pfingsten for a bucket.

Then after Grayslake North missed the front end of a one-and-one, Rivers sank both ends of hers.

"It was one of those games where maybe last year or the year before we do not finish it," Edge said. "We didn't shoot the ball real well, (made) too many turnovers and too many bad decisions. But I'm awful happy for them."

Grayslake North struggled all game from three-point range, making only 3 of 25 shots.

CL South 37, Lakes 19: Finally, Elizabeth Hinkle was able to smile.

After briefly breaking down her team's shortcomings in its state record-breaking loss to Crystal Lake South at Richmond-Burton, Lakes' first-year coach stopped sucking on a lozenge to offer some sun-will-rise-tomorrow perspective.

"We're good," she said.

Hinkle then smiled and added, "And we're looking forward to a merry Christmas."

Lakes' loss was its 73rd in a row. Rockford Auburn had previously held the state record for futility with 72 straight defeats.

The Eagles spotted CL South an 11-0 lead, trailed 13-2 after one quarter and 17-6 at halftime.

Samantha Steffen and Katie LaTour each had 6 points for Lakes (0-17), which played the second Saturday in a row without starter Mandy Schellinger because of a family commitment, Hinkle said.

Keshia Cunningham, who was coming off a 27-point effort against Woodstock, was in foul trouble most of the game and scored just 2 points.

The Gators didn't have a double-digit scorer, either, as Carly Juliano led them with 9 points, including a 3-pointer. Michelle Gaede had 8 points and 6 rebounds.

Woodstock 51, Wauconda 46: The Bulldogs dropped their fourth game in a row in the Woodstock/Richmond-Burton tournament.

While Wauconda (6-6, 1-4) shot only 9 of 25 from the foul line, Woodstock went just 5 of 23 from the stripe.

Lauren Mead and Kate Martino scored 16 and 13 points, respectively, for Wauconda.

Mollie Whiting had 16 points for Woodstock.