Keefe, Libertyville stop Grant's streak
Claire Keefe could hardly contain her excitement about the "secret play" that she and her Libertyville basketball teammates ran during a key third-quarter sequence.
"It was probably the highlight of the game," a smiley Keefe said.
Sure, Erin Dunleavy delivered, swishing a wide-open 3-pointer from the top of the key. But there was that one other highlight for Libertyville.
The Wildcats cooled off one of the hottest teams in Lake County. Keefe's game-high 14 points and 6 rebounds led the way in Libertyville's 39-24 victory over Grant and former Wildcats coach Kathie Swanson in second-round action of the Mundelein Holiday Tournament on Tuesday night.
Grant (9-3, 1-1 tourney) had won nine games in a row. Libertyville (6-7, 2-0) has won two straight for just the second time this season.
"We feel like we lined ourselves up with a really tough schedule that most people have not played yet," coach Greg Pedersen said after his Wildcats advanced to the tournament semifinals. The Wildcats will play Grayslake North at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. "We've been battled-tested big time, and we haven't always come through."
Libertyville came through against Grant, frustrating the Bulldogs with their aggressive defense that helped force 17 turnovers. Keefe finished a pair of aggressive moves to the basket early in the game, and the Wildcats never trailed. They were up 15-8 after one quarter and maintained that 7-point advantage (21-14) by halftime.
"I don't think we came out with the necessary intensity and focus from the very start," Swanson said. "It caught up to us."
"We did a good job defensively," Pedersen said. "We wanted to stop their size and their muscle because there are times when we don't come out with muscle. We challenged (our players), and they totally responded. We had guards rebounding, posts rebounding. That's what we need to be successful."
Grant was led by IUPUI-bound center Taylor Drake's 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 9 rebounds and Jasmine Sangster's 8 points. Sangster, who shot just 4 of 14, had averaged 20.4 points in her five previous games.
Grant shot just 10 of 34 from the floor and 3 of 10 from the line. The 24 points were the fewest the Bulldogs scored this season.
"I credit Libertyville's defense, but at the same time I don't think we were aggressively looking to attack the basket," said Swanson, who coached Libertyville from 2006-12, winning three straight North Suburban Conference titles. "We settled for shots that were not smart shots."
The shot that got Keefe fired up took place during Libertyville's 8-0 run to start the second half. The Wildcats came down the floor and, while in a half-court set, ran what Keefe called "50" for Dunleavy.
Dunleavy's only 3-pointer of the game was followed by a Caroline Frea jumper that hiked Libertyville's lead to 29-14 with two minutes gone in the third.
"Everyone was freaking out because Erin Dunleavy made the 3," Keefe said. "(The play) was a screen down and flex cut, and then I screened for Erin. Erin rolled off, shot the 3 and drained it. It was completely silent. You could hear the swoosh (of the net)."
Grant, which plays Lake Zurich at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, got within 29-21 when Sangster hit a runner in the lane. But a pair of free throws by Riley Weis (11 points) had Libertyville up 32-22 after three. The Wildcats held Grant to just a Drake layup in the fourth.
"The help-side defense is probably what helped us the most," Keefe said. "When Caroline and I could get in front, then we had Sarah Pavelske, Allison Watson, Maggie O'Sullivan and Riley Weis behind us, and Molly Cayce scrapping for us."