Chapa highlights Lake Zurich's win over Stevenson
You, too, can "You-Tube."
Gabby Chapa does, you know. Before ballgames.
That's how she helped get herself motivated for her Lake Zurich basketball team's own Class 4A regional final against Stevenson on Thursday night. She popped on the Internet, clicked on YouTube and checked out video of a pair of young, flashy NBA guards.
"Before the game I was watching Chris Paul and Derrick Rose highlights," said Chapa, a junior guard.
"I picked up a few moves."
That explains her "Tube-worthy" layup in the first quarter that helped spark the Bears en route to their 51-34 win.
It was the third win in as many games against Stevenson this season for Lake Zurich (27-5), which tries to make it "3-for-3" against another opponent when it faces Mundelein (26-4) in Tuesday night's sectional semifinal at Barrington.
"I thought we played well," said coach Chris Bennett, whose Bears, winners of 10 in a row, beat Stevenson 46-36 and 49-30 during North Suburban Lake Division play.
"I thought we did a good job of making sure that we didn't underestimate Stevenson since we had pretty good success against them the first two times."
Stevenson (12-17) held a 6-4 lead midway through the opening quarter when Lake Zurich put together the first of two significant runs. Chapa highlighted a 10-0 burst with a highlight-like play.
After stealing the ball in the Stevenson frontcourt, she drove hard the other way. In order to protect the ball from a defender, she used a crossover and then behind-the-back dribble before laying the ball in with her left hand.
She's right-handed, mind you.
"I think (the YouTube video) is where that one came from," Chapa said, smiling.
Lake Zurich led 17-8 after one quarter and 27-20 at halftime, after Chapa drew a three-shot foul with 2.9 seconds left. She sank 2 of the free throws.
"If we could have closed out the first quarter and the first half a little better, I think that would have helped," Patriots coach Trish Betthauser said.
"We wouldn't have had a seven-point hole to dig out of at half. But I thought we did a great job in the third quarter of coming out and executing the high-low that we were trying to get offensively."
Stevenson's 6-foot-1 Kelsey Simon sank a pair of shots in the third to help the Patriots get within 33-27, but Lake Zurich closed the quarter with another 10-0 run.
Lydia Bauer scored the final 8 points, which included back-to-back 3-pointers.
Bauer led all scorers with 18 points and also had 7 rebounds and 5 steals. She's taken over several games this season.
"She understands how to get herself shots, and she understands when in the game she needs them," Bennett said. "That's four years of varsity experience."
Olivia Allen added 15 points and 8 rebounds for Lake Zurich, while Audrey Bauer had 10 points. Chapa chipped in 8 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.
Michelle O'Brien scored 11 points for Stevenson. Anna Morrissey (12 rebounds) and Simon each had 8.
"Both (Lydia Bauer) and Olivia Allen played great games," Betthauser said. "That's what you expect out of senior kids."