Lake County girls basketball notes: Mundelein's hot; Stevenson's Klatt hits 1,000/1,000 milestone

The process is working for the Mundelein girls basketball team.

Coach Sarah Teipel's Mustangs were off to a great 5-1 start through their first six games, winning their own Thanksgiving tournament with a 5-0 mark.

"I have been proud of the teamwork and commitment to the process," Teipel said. "The girls trust each other and have focused on our daily habits, and have been working hard to take steps forward."

Rylan Foster and Casey Vyverman were all-tournament picks, "and have been doing a great job stepping up on the defensive and offensive end in leading their team," Teipel said. "Both have shown great leadership and toughness."

Foster was averaging 16.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, while hitting 15 of her 30 3-point attempts, and Vyverman was at 16 points, 3 assists and 2 steals, while hitting 20-of-40 3s.

Stevenson update: The Patriots scored a recent 27-point win over Chicago Phillips to close out Thanksgiving tournament play and also opened North Suburban action with a 42-point win over Waukegan to move to 4-1 overall.

"We are playing defense well," Patriots coach Regan Carmichael said. "I am encouraged to see how our offense is coming from our defensive pressure right now. They are buying in on the defensive end."

Emory Klatt has been a big story. She earned all-tournament honors along with Kendell Williams after averaging 21 points and hauling in 51 rebounds (22 offensive) in the four games at New Trier/Loyola.

Klatt became the second Stevenson girls basketball player to reach the 1,000 point, 1,000-rebound milestone, joining Tauja Catchings, who did so between 1993-1996 (2,001 points, 1,184 rebounds).

Carmichael also has been impressed with the play of Sydney Rosland and Emma Brooks.

"Sydney was on fire in the second half against Phillips and is really hitting her stride right now," Carmichael noted. "Emma sank clutch free throws in the win over New Trier and is becoming a positive and vocal leader."

Carmel update: The Corsairs were 2-3 in their first five contests with wins over Buffalo Grove and Grayslake Central.

Ashley Schlabowske, an all-tournament pick at Buffalo Grove and one of the team captains, is leading the team in scoring (17.5 points per game), rebounding (3.0) and assists (3.2). She had a school-record 36 points in the BG win. Sophomore Josie Hartman is leading the team in steals (3.0 per game), while junior Maia Cordova and sophomore Maron Bowes each are averaging 3 rebounds a game.

Coach Ben Berg noted Carmel was shooting 36.3 percent from 3 through those first five games. "We are shooting the ball well and are also creating turnovers," he said.

Berg added that senior Keira Ackerson, also a captain, along with Schlabowske, have been key in the leadership department both during the season and the offseason. "They motivate, serve and encourage others," he said.

Wauconda update: The Bulldogs were 2-2 through their first four games, which included winning their own Thanksgiving tournament. Emma Wisniewski and Alexia Manalo were all-tournament picks. Grace Parker leads Wauconda in scoring. She had 17 points and sank 6 of 7 free throws in a recent nonconference game against Marian Central. Ella Franck had 8 points and 6 rebounds against Marian.

"We are struggling with consistency," Bulldogs coach Jaime Dennis said. "When we are clicking, we can be a really good team. We have been able to put up 15-plus points a quarter."

Dennis said Manalo continued to work hard "to get the team working together," she said. "She manages the floor well and leads by example."

Antioch update: Not a bad start to the season for the Sequoits, who were 4-2 through their first six games.

Antioch opened Northern Lake County play with a 44-29 win over Grant and went 3-2 at the Vernon Hills tournament. Antioch trailed Lake Forest 23-18 at halftime of its final game at Vernon, but outscored the Scouts 18-8 in the third quarter and won 44-41, handing the tournament champs their only loss.

Heidi Rathmann leads Antioch in scoring (right around 15 points with a high of 24 points against Lake Forest Academy), and also averages 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals. Addie Webb is at 4.5 points and 5.2 rebounds.

"Our girls are finding a way to win," Antioch coach Jamie D'Andrea said. "They keep their composure down the stretch, have a good understanding of the game situation in the closing minutes and are adjusting their style of play to accommodate that."

Macie Volkmar has been another bright spot, D'Andrea noted, integral to the team's full-court press in its half-court defense. She's averaging 5.3 points and had a varsity career-high 10 points against Grant. D'Andrea also is high on Webb, a sophomore. "Addie is someone who can give any of the five starters a break, while still being a scoring threat and a defensive bulldog," she said.

Warren update: Coach John Stanczykiewicz's crew was 2-2 through its first four games, which included wins over Chicago Phillips (66-49) and Fenwick (53-46) at the New Trier-Loyola tournament.

Senior Nari Powers was leading the team in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (9.7), while senior Mariah Phelps is at 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds. Both were all-tournament at Loyola-New Trier.

"We are developing a better idea of how to play together, how to play basketball that gives us the best chance to win a game," Stanczykiewicz said. "Our defensive effort has improved over the last three weeks as has our team concept."

The Blue Devils lost to New Trier and Loyola to start the tournament. "We bounced back with really good efforts against Phillips and Fenwick," Stanczykiewicz said. "As a coach, you always wonder how your team will respond to adversity in the season."

Sophomore Jamila Brand had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds in the Fenwick game. "Jamila has been making a good adjustment to varsity-level basketball after playing JV last year," Stanczykiewicz said.

Grayslake North update: Lucy Roscoe is leading the Knights in scoring (8.7 points), while Ashlyn Stoneham is at 5.7 points per game.

"Lucy has been our leading scorer and one of our best defenders," North coach Brian Frericks said. "She is someone we ask a lot of. She does it all for our team. Ashlyn, as a freshman, is learning how to play at the varsity level more and more every day. She continues to get more confident."

Mikayla Gumapas is the team's leading rebounder (4.8), while Jane Pritchard is at 4.3 rebounds for North (0-7). Roscoe and Gumapas were all-tournament picks over Thanksgiving.

Round Lake update: The Panthers closed out play in the Maine East tournament with a 43-36 win over Wheeling. Round Lake was 2-2 to start the season.

Judith Cerroblanco, a Maine East all-tournament pick, is leading the way, averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds, while Tia Barnes (7.5 points, 5 rebounds), Lissette Herrera (7 points, 3.5 rebounds) and Brianna Arteaga (6 points, 5 rebounds) also have been key contributors.

"Judith stepped up big for us in our first four games," Round Lake coach Molly Hennig said. "She has always adjusted to the players around and the role she's been asked to play. She's adjusted yet again to become more of a scoring threat and a leader for our program."

Hennig pointed out Arteaga, a freshman, started playing the sport two years ago and is now a varsity starter. She had 15 points in a win against McHenry. "She has been a stabilizing force for us on offense," Hennig said.

Grant update: Grant was 3-4 through its first seven games, finishing 2-3 at Mundelein, defeating Wilmot Union from Wisconsin (56-39 win) and losing to Antioch in the NLCC opener.

Lily Capulong was leading the team in scoring to start the week (13 points per game). Alyssa Sandquist had 21 points, including five 3s in the Wilmot win. Capulong and Sandquist both were all-tournament at Mundelein.

Bulldogs coach Andrea Weaver also likes the way Bella Gomezdelatorre and Abigail Hobbs have started their seasons. "Bella has stepped up this year," she said. "Her energy changes the pace of the game for us. Abigail has exceeded my expectations for her first few games back. She consistently puts up points and is one of our strongest defenders."

Grayslake Central update: The Rams went 2-3 at Buffalo Grove and were 3-3 overall to start the week. Madison Hoffmann, all-tournament at BG, is leading the team in scoring (15.5 points), while also averaging 2.3 steals. Katelyn Marcelain is at 6.8 rebounds per game, while Mosey Drevline averages 3.3 assists.

Coach Steve Ikenn has been pleased with the varied contributions he is seeing. Drevline had 7 assists against Crystal Lake Central, while Marcelain had a double-double against Barrington.

Peyton Hoffmann fell one rebound short of a double-double against CL Central.

"We have had different players step us in each game," Ikenn noted. "We are playing well as a team offensively in terms of balance and having different players step up when needed."

In addition to Hoffmann, fellow team captain Annie Wolff is averaging 13.3 points. "They have stepped up their game with their on-court play and their leadership," Ikenn said. "They contribute at both ends of the floor."

Libertyville update: The Cats took third at Buffalo Grove and were 4-2 overall to start the week. Team leaders include Rachel Rule (12.7 points), Madison Sears (5.8 rebounds), Lily Fisher (4 assists per game) and Kate Rule (3 steals per game).

The Rule sisters were all-tournament at BG. Rachel Rule had 30 points against Carmel.

"Kate and Rachel always step it up," Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen said. "They lead us with ball-handling and as steadying forces on defense. Kate hit a clutch shot to force overtime against Hersey. They are a dynamic guard duo."

Lake Zurich update: Sophomore Leah Gilbertson is leading the Bears in scoring at 11.5 points per game, while classmate Alex Nowak-Tice is at 9.5 points. Gilbertson and junior Molly Friesen were all-tournament picks for Lake Zurich (0-4 to start the week).

"We are doing a lot of things well, even though that's not what our record shows," Bears coach Chris Bennett said. "We need to find 32 minutes of consistency."

Freshmen Addie Leonard and Kaitlin Wahlund have wasted no time in making their presence felt.

"Addie and Kaitlin both played big minutes against top teams and showed they belong in the varsity rotation," Bennett said.

Lakes update: The Eagles got off to a 2-2 start with wins against Argo and Wheeling. Kaylee Anderson, averaging 10.3 rebounds per game, was an all-tournament pick over Thanksgiving. Janae Pullen is averaging 6.8 points, while Inclarity Turney is averaging 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals.

"We are playing solid, physical defense and controlling the board," Lake coach Grant Murray said. "I feel like we know who we are and just need to continue to work together to make things click."

Anderson had 19 rebounds in the Wheeling win, while Jes Ross scored 13 points against Maine East.

Vernon Hills update: The Cougars were 1-4 through their first five, hosting a Thanksgiving tournament. Keira Thomas is leading Vernon Hills in scoring at 10 points (also averaging 6 rebounds), while Elyse Davis is at 5.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Emily Ochieng averages 4 points and 7.6 rebounds and Emma Jocson averages 7 points.

Both Ochieng and Jocson are new to the varsity and have contributed quickly. "This is Emily's first year on varsity," coach Paul Brettner pointed out. "She had adapted quickly to the speed of the game. She rebounds and plays good defense. Emma is starting at the point guard position as a freshman. That can be difficult. She has handled it all well. She is poised to have a great season."