Loyd goes for 40 as Niles West beats Lake Zurich

Trying to stop Niles West's Jewell Loyd wasn't an easy task for Lake Zurich's girls basketball team on Tuesday evening.

Loyd, a junior, dropped in her second best scoring output of the season. She finished with 40 points and also pulled down 13 rebounds, blocked 7 shots and had 6 assists.

All of which added up to a 62-41 victory over the Bears at the Suburban Holiday Showcase in Skokie.

"It was an enjoyment, watching Jewell Loyd play basketball," Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett said. "I just wish I wasn't on the bench with the opposing team. It would've been better to be in the stands.

"Loyd has a two-dribble pull up jump shot that's unguardable and watching her explode on rebounds was impressive. She has all the skills."

The Bears fell to 7-8 overall and 2-2 in the tournament. Niles West broke a 3-game losing streak and raised its records to 11-6 and 1-3. Loyd hit her season-high of 45 points against Hersey early this season.

The Bears were still within reach of the Wolves early in the second quarter and trailed 17-14 after Katherine Anderson (8 points) made a layup with 6:48 left.

Then Loyd scored 9 points, including a 3-pointer that capped off a 12-2 Niles Wes spurt. The Wolves took a 29-16 lead at the two-minute mark.

The Bears got caught turning the ball over 5 times during the run and had a total of 18 turnovers in the game.

Lake Zurich did recover with 5 unanswered points on Kelsey Dreiling's layup and Karlissa Skarb's 3-point play, which left the Bears down 29-21 at the half.

The Bears couldn't get much closer in the third quarter. Lloyd scored 11 points and the Wolves outscored the Bears 18-9 for a 47-30 margin going into the final quarter.

Catherine Spear led Lake Zurich with 14 points, and Stephanie Schmid added 9.