High five pleases Grayslake North

On the one hand, Grayslake North girls basketball coach Jim Sarver wants to shout about his team’s five-game winning streak from the rooftops.

But, on the other, he wouldn’t mind if it could be kept under wraps.

“I’ve been a coach for 20 years … I have my superstitions,” Sarver laughed. “I’m not sure we’re ready for people to know we’ve won 5 games in a row.”

Sarver doesn’t want to jinx anything.

His Knights are in the midst of an historical achievement. Grayslake North has put together more consecutive wins during this five-game streak than any other winning stretch in program history.

“I think the most wins we’ve ever had in a row before this was three,” Sarver said. “This is our sixth year of varsity basketball and we haven’t had a whole lot of success at our school. But this team is the most athletic group I’ve had and we’re starting to show that we can really play.”

The Knights, who opened the season with three straight losses, are now 5-3 overall with wins over Grant, Tinley Park, Jacobs, Woodstock North and Round Lake.

They hit the road for Johnsburg today looking to extend their winning streak to six straight games.

“We’ve never beaten Johnsburg,” Sarver said. “It’s a good program and we’ve just never been able to get one from them. One of our goals this year is to beat all of the teams on our schedule like Johnsburg, teams we’ve never beaten before.”

The Knights are well prepared to fight that battle.

They’ve got a great inside-outside combo in guard Kendall Detweiler and center Joanna Guhl. Like the team as a whole, both are having record-setting seasons.

Detweiler drained a school-record 7 three-pointers in Grayslake North’s win over Jacobs. She has a total of 28 3-pointers over the first eight games.

Meanwhile, Guhl is averaging a double-double at 10 points and an eye-popping 14 rebounds per game. Her two best rebounding performances came against Woodstock North and Tinley Park in which she had 18 and 17 rebounds respectively.

“I think one of the biggest keys for us is that our lower levels have had winning records the last couple of years,” Sarver said. “We’re starting to have success with the young kids and then we’re seeing it at the varsity level. For some programs, (success) happens faster than others. We’re getting there.”

A little hiccup: At 9-1, Vernon Hills is off to its second-best start in school history. Only a 6-point loss to Grayslake Central in late November is keeping the Cougars from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Speaking of being unbeaten at this point in the season, the 2002-03 team at Vernon Hills managed that feat by reeling off a 10-0 record to start.

Ironically, the first hiccup that season came at the hands of…Grayslake Central.

“It was 10 straight wins and then we hit Grayslake Central, and now they’re our only loss so far,” Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said. “But that’s a really good program. And there have been some years, especially the last two, that they’ve just been stacked.

“The good thing is that this year, it was really a pretty even game. We played them tough, we just couldn’t get over the hump. It’s a good game for both of us though because I figure we’re both probably going to be very competitive in the Class 3A tournament.”

A little help: With six of its top players back from last year, including three-year veteran Abby Springer at point and Meri Bennett-Swanson in the post, Vernon Hills serves up a wicked first punch with its starting lineup.

But what has helped the Cougars run out to a 9-1 start is the fact that there’s little drop-off when the reserves start entering the game.

Players such as Megan Riehm, Alina Lehocky and Brie Bahlmann have given Vernon Hills valuable minutes this season.

“The nice thing about all three of those players is that they’re so versatile,” Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said. “When I sub, I don’t have to sub a point guard for a point guard or a center for a center. Those kids can play any position. And they’re really good defenders, too.”

Remember when? When Grayslake Central dropped its first two games of the season (to Libertyville and Maine South), there was disappointment. But no panic.

All head coach Steve Ikenn had to do was remind his players what happened last year. And last year didn’t turn out too badly.

“Last year, we finished with a 28-4 record. But we started out 2-2,” Ikenn said. “After we lost to Maine South and fell to 0-2, I just reminded our girls about that. Not only had we lost to two really good teams, but a lot can change, like last year.

“I’m proud of the girls because they really responded to that. They didn’t panic at all and just kind of went about getting back on track very methodically.”

Whatever the method, it sure has worked.

The Rams, led by four-year varsity starter Skyler Jessop (15 ppg) and point guard Claire Brennan, are now 7-2 and currently in the midst of a seven-game winning streak with big victories over Buffalo Grove, Vernon Hills and Cary-Grove.

“I think one of the things this team is best at is pulling together when things get tough,” Ikenn said. “This group just has a really good sense of that and they also work well together. We have very nice balance and we’re a very unselfish team and it starts with Skyler. She doesn’t care if she gets her 15 points or if someone else does, as long as we win. It’s nice to see that.”

Growing from the roots: Three years ago, Lakes was making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The Eagles had lost an IHSA-record 85 games in a row and were 2-108 over their first four years as a program.

But since Pete Schneider took over two years ago, there have been drastic improvements in the program. The Eagles won 9 games in his first year and 11 games last year.

Schneider, who team is off to a 3-6 start this season after Saturday’s heartbreaking 36-35 loss to archrival Antioch, believes a unique grass-roots program has helped to get his program turned in the right direction.

Each Monday during the season, unless a game is on the schedule, the Eagles host a 2-hour basketball camp for local fifth through eighth graders.

“We actually use our practice time. Our girls run the drills and everything,” Schneider said. “We have about 40 girls coming to our camp every Monday. It’s great.”

Most high school teams host camps during the summer. To do so weekly during the season and sacrifice practice time is unique.

But Schneider says his girls have a lot of fun and he is building strong roots in the community with future players.

“We want our girls to be excited about wearing a Lakes uniform. We want them to have pride in their program and you can see that when they’re working with the younger kids,” Schneider said. “And the younger girls and their parents love (the camp) and we’re already starting to see our numbers at the underlevels increase.”