Libertyville good enough vs. Lake Zurich

With a perfect record through 18 games, you'd think consistency isn't something the Libertyville girls basketball team should be searchin for.

But as scary as it may seem, coach Kathie Swanson thinks her team can get better.

"We seem to play at a high level against really good teams and struggle with teams that aren't as good," Swanson said.

The latest victim during this perfect run was visiting Lake Zurich and while the Wildcats rolled to a 42-25 win over the Bears, it wasn't quite the inspired performance that Swanson had hoped for.

"Lake Zurich is a good team, a well-coached team," Swanson said. "There is no reason why we can't bring the same intensity level against them that we bring against a Stevenson or a team like that."

In the third quarter, and leading 21-11, Libertyville (19-0, 8-0) brought the intensity and effort level that Swanson was hoping to see for four quarters.

The Wildcats outscored the Bears 16-4 in the period led by senior Savanna Trees.

Trees scored 9 of her co-team high 11 points in the period as Libertyville opened up a 37-15 lead after three quarters. Senior Valerie Van Roeyen also scored 11 points for the Wildcats.

"At times I think we coast out there and we have to get away from that because on any given day you never know," Swanson said. "In the third quarter we were crisp with our passes and did the things we do well."

Lake Zurich (9-13, 3-5) battled toe-to-toe with the Wildcats despite playing without starter Dori Darras. Junior Maisie Cox and senior Karlissa Skarb each paced the Bears with 8 points a piece.

"We had a talk as a team after the Maine West game about how we played," said Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett. "I thought we started the game better, but you have to give Libertyville credit, they are a very solid team."

The Bears stayed right with Libertyville early on before the hosts started to pull away in the second quarter. A 9-2 burst in the second quarter gave the Wildcats a comfortable cushion before they pulled away in the third period.