Girls basketball / Northwest holiday tournament scouting
Alden-Hebron Christmas Tournament
When: Dec. 27-30
Where: Alden-Hebron High School
Favorite: Harvest Christian
Dark horse: Christian Liberty Academy
Players to watch: Jess Moriarty (CLA), Megan Sullivan (CLA), Vivian Barclay (CLA).
Outlook: The Chargers, off to a 6-2 start under first-year coach Colleen Sullivan, are looking forward to playing against Harvest Christian. The two teams met in summer basketball and played a few close games. “When I look at their record, their final scores against our common opponents are very close, so that should be a good first game,” said Sullivan. The Chargers will play the host Giants on Dec. 29. CLA defeated Hebron 54-49 earlier this season. “That is sure to be another good game,” Sullivan said. “We had a narrow win against them in the Elgin Academy Thanksgiving Tournament. Both of our teams play tough defense and both have offense with lots of ball and player movement.” The Chargers have had their share of illness and injuries. “We hope to have a healthier team going into the tournament,” Sullivan said. The Chargers have productive scoring and shooting from perimeter players, especially freshman Jess Moriarty, sophomore Megan Sullivan and sophomore Vivian Barclay. “We are looking to have a healthy Shelbi Hernandez going into the tournament and have more scoring from her, Jayna Rowland, and Carly Baric to have a balanced attack that makes it that much tougher on opposing defenses,” Colleen Sullivan added.
Bill Neibch Falcon Classic
When: Dec. 26-29
Where: Wheaton North High School
Teams: Waubonsie Valley (No. 1 seed), Glenbrook South (No. 2), Hersey (No. 3), Lyons (No. 4), Elk Grove (No. 5), Glenbard South (No. 6), Glenbard North (No. 7), St Charles East (No. 8), Willowbrook, West Aurora, Jacobs, Downers Grove North, Elgin, Hinsdale Central, Wheaton North, Schaumburg.
Favorite: Waubonsie Valley
Darkhorse: Hersey
Local players to watch: Jen Hall and Maggie Hogen (Hersey), Diamond Boyd and Kelly Naughton (Elk Grove), Amanda Kelly and Alyssa Saklak (Schaumburg)
Local outlook: Under coach Mary Fendley, Hersey has outplayed its seed every year but one, is a four-time champion (2002, 2004, 2009 and 2010) and was second to Hinsdale Central in 2000, the Huskies’ first appearance in the tourney. Before that, the Huskies had played in the Warren tournament. While winning the crown last year, Hersey’s Megan Rogowski, now playing for DePaul, surpassed 2,000 career points and was named the tourney’s MVP. “Our goal is always to outplay our seed at this tournament,” Fendley said. “It will be really hard this year to do so, but we will do our best to get back to the championship game. Our girls are working hard to improve their consistency. Hopefully things will start to fall together for us at Wheaton North.” Elk Grove (6-3) has been led by the scoring prowess of Diamond Boyd, who has been in double figures every game. “We’re excited to go back to Wheaton North,” Fendley said. “They run a first-class tournament, and the competition is great. There’s nothing better than four straight days of basketball. We feel good about the way we are playing, and the opportunity to play unfamiliar competition will allow us to gauge where we stand.” Schaumburg is 3-6 as Saxons coach Ashley Berggren (3-6) takes her team to Barrington tonight. “Wheaton North runs a great tournament with competitive teams returning year after year,” Berggren said. Alyssa Saklak (senior) and Amanda Kelly (junior) are among the top student-athletes playing in the tournament this year.
Blue Devil Classic
When: Dec 17, 19-22
Where: Warren High School
Teams: Deerfield, Carmel, Palatine, Wheeling, Lake Forest, Grayslake Central, Niles North, Warren.
Favorite: Warren
Darkhorse: Palatine
Local outlook: Mid-Suburban League representatives Palatine (6-3) and Wheeling (1-10) participate in this eight-team tourney, which starts with three-game pool play before semifinal and finals action. “This should be a very competitive tournament this year,” said Palatine coach Leslie Schock, whose teams face Wheeling in its opener Saturday at 4:30 p.m. “Grayslake Central and Warren both have strong, veteran teams. Wheeling’s record does not accurately represent its talent. They’ve have had a tough schedule and some injuries in the start of the season. If we come ready to play with focus and determination, I think we will be highly competitive in this tournament.” Point guard Nia Pappas leads the Pirate offense. “McKenzie Wiedemann plays some of the toughest man defense I have ever seen,” Schock added. “We are also getting some scoring from our inside players — Katelyn Mayer and (freshman) Monica Masini, who continue to improve every game. Laura Schweikert’s on-the-ball defense has been great and she is looking more and more to score.” The Pirates also get quality minutes from returning seniors Katie Burke and Julie Johlie as well as sophomores Cassidy McPherson and Morgan Radtke. Freshman standout Deanna Kuzmanic has missed the Wildcats’ last four games with an ankle injury. She scored 21 and 20 points in the Wildcats’ first two games. Her sister, Kellie, has moved to the point guard spot and leads the team on offense while senior Leah Malsom provides power inside, too. “This tournament is something we look forward to every year because of its schedule,” said Wildcats coach Julissa Hernandez. “We will play competitive teams in such a short time span. Playing teams outside our conference will only prepare us for our conference games. We are looking to build some momentum here that will lead us after the new year.”
Boilermaker Holiday Basketball tournament
When: Dec. 28-30
Where: Bradley-Bourbonnais High School
Teams: Bradley-Bourbonnais, Bloom, Crete-Monee, Eisenhower, Hoffman Estates, Sheppard, Thornton Fractional South, Thornridge
Favorite: Hoffman Estates
Darkhorse: Thornton Fractional South
Local players to watch: Destinée Young, Becca Stocyznski and Mary Pettit (Hoffman Estates)
Local Outlook: Hoffman Estates is the busiest team in the area over the holidays, playing in a pair of tourneys just a little more than a week apart. The Hawks will play their fourth and final game in the 16-team Mundelein tournament on Dec 22, then prepare for their Dec. 28 opener in this eight-team three-game event. “We only had 16 games (with two tourneys) and couldn’t find anyone to play us during the season.” said Hawks coach Mike Nocella. “We were allowed a third tournament and we found this one was available. I thought it would give us another chance to see teams we don’t play and that can be fun at times,” With this tourney, the Hawks will play a 29-game regular season schedule.
Chicagoland Holiday Basketball Challenge
When: Dec. 21-23, 26- 27
Where: Opening rounds at Barrington, Proviso East, Niles West
Teams: Barrington, Proviso East, Stevenson, Niles West, Trinity, Lake Zurich, Wheaton, St. Francis, Loyola
Favorite: Stevenson
Dark horse: Barrington
Local players to watch: Nicole Collins (Barrington), Katie Batman (Stevenson)
Local outlook: Barrington has been participating in this revolving-site tournament for almost 10 years under coach Babbi Barreiro. This season, the Fillies are in a pool with Proviso East, Niles West and Stevenson. “It’s nice you get five games and the competition is great,” said Barreiro, whose team (5-5) hosts Schaumburg today. “All of these teams had success over the years and it’s great to see teams you don’t normally play.” The Fillies were 3-2 in the event a year ago and placed third. Back as a starter from that team is starting point guard Nicole Collins, who tossed home a season-high 23 points against Conant last week. “Nicole is playing very well right now,” Barreiro said. “She is giving us some nice leadership. We are looking forward to this tournament. It will be tough, very competitive and we’ll have our work cut out for us. But we’ll go at it hard.”
29th annual Charger Classic
When: Dec. 26-29
Where: Dundee-Crown High School
Teams: Prospect, Maine West, St. Charles North, Fenwick, Regina, New Trier, Evanston, Fremd, Johnsburg, Resurrection, Rockton Hononegah, Buffalo Grove, Mother McAuley, Dundee-Crown, Bartlett.
Favorite: Bartlett
Dark horse: Prospect
Local players to watch: Ashley McConnell and Jessi Wiedemann (Fremd), Maura Benson and Christina Brucci (Prospect), Brittany Collins and Amanda Hoye (Maine West)
Local Outlook: Fremd is the area’s hottest team, having won all nine of its games heading into tonight’s game with Hoffman Estates. The Vikings 9-0 record includes a 4-0 record to win the Turkey Thriller tournament at Lake Zurich, Fremd and Lakes high schools. “Before the season we talk about breaking up the year into segments,” said Fremd coach Dave Yates, whose balanced-scoring team includes Division I recruit Jessi Wiedemann (Valparaiso). “We will look at the Dundee-Crown tournament as a chance for a fresh start. We are excited to play in such a classy tournament with many great programs. We hope to get on track and use it as a springboard into 2012.” Prospect has been on the right track this season as coach Martha Kelly’s Knights take an 8-4 mark into tonight’s MSL East battle with visiting Hersey. “The atmosphere of the Dundee-Crown tournament is great, it helps prepare for state playoffs,” Kelly said. “There are a number of quality teams here and historically those who performing well and have also done well in the state series (Fenwick, Stevenson, Naperville Central and Maine West are among those who have won state crowns after playing in Carpentersville).” The Knights’ biggest win thus far is a 45-42 victory over state-ranked Stevenson. “We already have been tested this year and have come out on top,” Kelly added. “We are excited for the tournament and believe that we can compete with the top teams there. With the confidence that we have built from our early games we are looking to make some noise,” Maine West has won five D-C titles under coach Derril Kipp. His team is currently 3-8 but 3-0 in the CSL North. “It’s always a good tournament because we get to play teams we don’t normally see,” Kipp said. “We want to keep getting better. We’ve got to get our guards to play well. If they do, we’ll be good at the end of the season.”
Lady Mustangs Holiday Classic
When: Dec. 10, 17, 19-22
Where: Mundelein High School
Teams: Highland Park, Rockford Auburn, Rolling Meadows, Prairie Ridge, Huntley, Mundelein, Cary-Grove, Grant, Zion-Benton, Hoffman Estates, Lake Park, Conant, Vernon Hills, Streamwood, Libertyville, Waukegan
Favorite: Zion-Benton
Dark horse: Rolling Meadows
Local players to watch: Jackie Kemph, Alexis Glasgow, Jenny Vliet and Anne Marie Lynch (Rolling Meadows), Natalie Kutrumanes (Conant), Destinée Young, Becca Stocyznski, Mary Pettit (Hoffman Estates)
Local Outlook: Zion-Benton, the runner-up of this 16-team to Libertyville last season, went on to finish second in the Class 4A state tourney. Rolling Meadows, Highland Park, Mundelein, Cary-Grove, Zion-Benton, Lake Park, Vernon Hills and Libertyville all won their openers last Saturday to reach this Saturday’s quarterfinals. Coach Todd Hatfield’s Meadows’ club, which is 8-3 and tied for first in the MSL East at 2-0, will face Highland Park and standout Lena Munzer at 3:30 p.m. The Mustangs have proved they can play with some the top teams in the area. Sophomore guard Jackie Kemph equaled her career-high of 29 points against Hersey a week ago. “We’re excited to get back to our second home (the Mustangs played 10 games at Mundelein the last few years),” Hatfield said. “Brian Evans (Mustangs coach) and Mundelein always put together a great tournament. It’s refreshing to get an opportunity to see some different teams and some of the best players in the area.” Hoffman Estates and Conant will meet in the consolation bracket Saturday at noon. Hoffman dropped a 63-54 decision to Zion in its opener. In that game, junior standout and Division I recruit Destinée Young (double figures every game until that one) was undercut and required nine stitches on her chin from the fall. She is expected to play against Fremd tonight. “We seem to play pretty well at this tournament,” said Hoffman coach Mike Nocella, whose club (1-7) took third last season with a win over Cary-Grove. “I think the girls rise to the occasion. They are hoping to turn things around here this year. We’ve got some other girls (on the bench) coming around and the sooner they do, the better we can be.” Conant takes a record of 4-8 in tonight’s match with Palatine. The Cougars lost to Lake Park in its opener. “ I want our team to get better and face the challenge of playing back-to-back games,” said Cougars coach Dan Travers. “We got down 12-0 early against Lake Park and fought back to tie it in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get the lead. We’ll have to be ready to play again on Saturday after our conference home game against Palatine (today). We are excited for the opportunity to get better and improve as a team.” The young and inexperienced Cougars hope to get better in the second half of the season. “Right now we have to cut down on our mistakes and be more consistent on offense,” Travers said. “We’re playing hard and competing in our game but we need players to step up and score some more points without sacfricing our defense.”
Snowflake tourney
When: Dec. 21-23, 26-27
Where: St. Viator High School
Teams: St. Viator, Elmwood Park, Maine East, Northside College Prep, Guerin Prep, Fenton, Leyden, Glenbrook North
Favorite: Glenbrook North
Darkhorse: St. Viator
Local players to watch: Katie Gavin and Lauren Rooney (St. Viator)
Local outlook: Coach Paul Bjerkness has guided the Lions to four straight titles in the Snowflake, an eight-team tourney with three games of pool play and two days of finals action. The Lions were 6-4 going into Thursday’s game with Resurrection. They will meet Northside Prep, Elmwood Park and Maine East in pool play. “We are looking to get continually better,” Bjerkness said. “We have to keep executing offensively and get better on defense.” Katie Gavin, who was the MVP of the Snowflake last year, returns as a senior guard. She hit the game-winning buzzer-beating 30-footer that gave the Lions a 33-32 win at Conant on Tuesday. Senior Lauren Rooney has been a top scorer and rebounder for the Lions while the Hess sisters (seniors Morgan and Mallory) are also formidable inside players. Sophomore guard Erin Fabbri is also a major scoring threat.