Moffat making veteran moves for Stevenson

Other than that nifty hesitation move, which she says she learned in sixth grade, Kari Moffat doesn't hold back.

The more she plays varsity basketball, seemingly the more confident the Stevenson freshman is becoming.

Take Tuesday night.

Moffat had what coach Tom Dineen called her best game of the season, as she led the Patriots to a 62-47 win over host Mundelein in North Suburban Lake Division action.

The 5-foot-5 Moffat led all scorers with a season-high 19 points while also dishing out 3 assists.

"She sure didn't play like a freshman," Dineen said. "She took control of that game and played very well down the stretch. I thought she made some big shots and made some good decisions with the ball."

Anna Morrissey added 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting for Stevenson (7-3, 2-2). Kelsey Simon posted 11 points and had 11 rebounds, while Michelle O'Brien had 9 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals.

"This probably was Anna's best game also," Dineen said. "I thought she was very strong around the basket, didn't turn the ball over and played very well."

The Patriots built a 14-point lead in the second quarter, but behind Amanda Davis and Olivia Dunigan, Mundelein (6-5, 2-2) got back in the game quickly. O'Brien's runner just before the halftime buzzer had Stevenson up 30-26.

The Mustangs were within 32-30 early in the third quarter when Moffat stepped up like a veteran. She scored on a pair of drives and then fed Morrissey for a layup to build the lead to 38-30.

Fun stuff for the 15-year-old.

"I like it," Moffat said of intense situations like those in the third. "It's fun."

Stevenson fans are seemingly in for a treat as they watch the maturation of Moffat.

"She's so much fun to be around and she's such a nice person," O'Brien said. "She's amazing for her age. I've never seen a freshman so confident handling the ball, and her shooting is awesome. It's really fun playing with her."

Despite falling behind by 10 in the third, Mundelein kept fighting back, with Sarah Small's jumper pulling the Mustangs within 43-40 heading into the fourth.

"We stayed together and kept each other's confidence up," Davis said.

Again it was Moffat who hit a big shot for Stevenson, as she swished a pull-up jumper to start the fourth, starting a 6-0 run, which she capped with a feed to Simon for a layup.

Then in the final 1:13, Moffat sealed Mundelein's fate by going 6 of 6 from the stripe.

"I stepped up to the line and said, 'I'm going to make these,' " said Moffat, who scored 9 points in the fourth and finished 6 of 9 from the floor.

Stevenson outscored Mundelein 19-7 in the fourth.

"(Mundelein) certainly kept coming back and back," O'Brien said. "We really had to stick it to them on defense and limit our fouls, and really just play our game. We know our defense is strong so we just had to do what we do best."

Dunigan (9 rebounds) and Davis each scored 16 points for Mundelein. It was a season high for Davis, who recently earned a spot in coach Brian Evans' starting lineup. The 5-6 sophomore guard shot 7 of 11 from the floor, sinking a pair of 3-pointers.

"My teammates were passing the ball very well," said Davis, who's one minute younger than her identical twin, Taylor.

"Give Mundelein a lot of credit," Dineen said. "I thought they played very hard and very well. They played all 32 minutes."