Scouting Libertyville girls basketball
LIBERTYVILLE
COACH: Kathie Swanson (fifth season)
LAST SEASON: 25-6, 10-2 in NSC Lake
LOSSES: G Katelynn Jennings, C Leah Kruckman
RETURNEES: Sr. G Savannah Trees, Jr. G Alex Haley, Sr. G/F Olivia Wilcox, Sr. G/F Kaca Savatic, Jr. C Nicole Kruckman, Sr. G Valerie Van Roeyen, Sr. G Erin Jaffke, Sr. G Lisa Cooper, Sr. F Taylor Primrose, Sr. F/C Erika Danckers
NEWCOMERS: Jr. F/C Kerry Risley, Jr. G Jackie Hansen, Jr. G/F Molly Moon, Jr. G Eileen Knauff
OUTLOOK: The Wildcats were sitting with a modest 6-4 record after a heartbreaking loss at Zion-Benton last December. Then they got hot and stayed hot. They won their next 15 games, held off Stevenson for the North Suburban Lake title (they beat the Patriots twice by a combined margin of 3 points) and knocked off Wauconda for the conference championship. Libertyville won the Fremd regional before losing on its home court to Hersey in the sectional semifinals. The Wildcats will try to duplicate that success with a roster that hasn't changed much. Back are three all-area players in point guard Savannah Trees (11.4 ppg, 3.5 apg), shooting guard Alex Haley (9.8 ppg) and forward Kaca Savatic (6.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.5 spg), who's coming off off-season knee surgery. “We are fortunate to bring back a lot of talent and experience from last year's team,” coach Kathie Swanson said.
“I am excited by what this team can do this season. This is a good group of kids who are capable of doing a lot of great things when they put their mind to it. The key for us is getting back to being fully healthy after a summer of nagging injuries as well as finding ways to develop more senior leadership.” The returnees also include veteran guard/forward Olivia Wilcox and 6-foot junior Nicole Kruckman. Gone are sharpshooting Katelynn Jennings and center Leah Kruckman. Trees, a starter since her sophomore year, established herself last season as one of the county's best players. “We also need to find ways to replace the depth we lost with the graduation of last year's senior class,” Swanson said. “There are many opportunities for the newcomers and veterans to step up and help in that process. If we continue to play with the same mentality and drive that we showed last year, I expect this group to be very competitive in the NSC Lake and challenge to go farther in the IHSA playoffs.”