Balanced Stevenson finally shakes Zion-Benton

It wasn't easy, but it was a good start to the 2010-11 girls basketball season for host Stevenson on Monday night against Zion-Benton.

The Patriots held a slim 40-37 lead over the Zee-Bees entering the fourth quarter and they outscored the visitors 22-16 in the final eight minutes to capture a 62-53 North Suburban Conference Lake Division victory.

The first half was a defensive struggle. Zion-Benton took a 9-7 advantage after one quarter before Stevenson bounced back in the second quarter to take a 25-19 lead into halftime.

It looked like the Patriots were going to pull away late in the third quarter when a 3-point play by senior Ashley Niedermayer gave Stevenson its biggest lead at 40-29.

But Zion-Benton went on an 8-point run to end the third quarter. An outside shot by senior Kaitlyn Stabenow really put the pressure on the Patriots headed into the final quarter.

"This was an extremely tough first game, and trust me, I wasn't really looking forward to it," said Patriots coach Tom Dineen, whose team hit 21 of 34 free throws in the contest. "They're going to be a factor not only in the league, but in the area too."

A 3-point play by sophomore Kari Moffat to open the fourth quarter boosted the Patriots' lead to 43-37, but an inside basket by Zion-Benton's Morgan Garrett cut the gap to 43-39 with 7:23 to play.

That was as close as the Zee-Bees got. A pair of inside baskets by Western Michigan-bound senior Michelle O'Brien boosted the Patriots' lead to 47-39 before an inside hoop by Michigan State-bound senior Anna Morrissey made the score 49-39 with 6:11 remaining.

"We worked together as a team in the end and we executed our plays," said Morrissey, who scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. "The team was a little nervous, but we worked through it."

Four Patriots reached double figures in scoring including Morrissey, O'Brien (15 points, 10 rebounds), Niedermayer (11 points) and Moffat (10 points).

"I thought it was a great team effort and I thought the kids played very well for an opening game," said Dineen. "Our kids made some big shots when the game was on the line, but we didn't panic and we kept our composure down the stretch."

Zion-Benton was led by freshman Samantha Rodriguez with 13 points, and teammate Kayla Young added 9 points including three 3-pointers. Senior Helena Rodriguez added 8 points and Stabenow chipped in 7 points.

Carmel 58, Grayslake N 34:

Senior guard Erin Quinn and junior guard Jackie Meier each scored 13 points to lead Carmel Catholic's girls basketball team to a 58-34 win over Grayslake North at Mundelein on Monday night, making a winner of Kelly Perz in her head-coaching debut.

Senior center Beth Scudder added 11 points, and Sarah McHugh had 7 points and 7 rebounds for Carmel, which plays Rolling Meadows at 4:30 p.m. today at Mundelein.

Quinn's drive and spinning layup gave Carmel a 22-6 lead after one quarter. Meier scored 9 points, including a 3-pointer, and hit all 4 of her shots in the first quarter, which saw the Corsairs go 10 of 14 from the floor.

Scudder went 4 of 4 from the floor in the second quarter and Carmel went into the locker room leading 42-14 on 18-of-27 shooting.

Katie McGrath led Grayslake North with 10 points, Brianna Leon added 8 and sophomore Jordyn Bowen chipped in 7, including a 3-pointer.

The Knights were more competitive in the second half, outscoring the Corsairs 12-7 in the third quarter and winning the half 20-16.

"We're going to run the floor," said coach Jim Sarver, whose Knights graduated all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lauren Erickson and also lost all-area post Kinsey Siler, who transferred out of state. "I think you saw in the second half how we can out-quick people."

Vernon Hills 49, Lake Forest Acad. 28:

At the Cougar Classic, Lauren Webb scored 11 points and teammate Meri Bennett-Swanson added 10 as Vernon Hills got a winner in its season opener. Webb and Bennett-Swanson also came up big on the boards, with 8 and 7 rebounds respectively.

Wauconda 38, CL Central 30:

Tammy Ellis poured in a game-high 19 points as Wauconda won its first game of the season. With 9 rebounds, Ellis fell just one rebound short of a double-double. Melanie Prudhomme added 10 points for the Bulldogs.

Fremd 58, Grant 18:

With three players in double-figures, Fremd rolled Grant in the season opener for both teams. Donnie Taggart led Grant with 8 points.