Lake County girls basketball holiday preview
Libertyville is hosting its annual tournament next week with a big addition.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 8 in the most recent Daily Herald Top 20 poll, added Rustoleum as a title sponsor, creating the Rustoleum Winter Classic. The Wildcats face Rockford Auburn (7-7), Cary-Grove (7-4) and fellow North Suburban entrant Warren (6-5) on successive days starting Dec. 26.
Coach Greg Pedersen’s Cats squad was 10-3 to start the week, riding a 5-game winning streak. Senior sisters Kate (11.2 points per game) and Rachel Rule (11.0 points) lead the way, while junior Madison Sears averages 5.5 rebounds and freshman Lily Fisher averages 4 assists a contest.
Looking at the Rustoleum, Pedersen said his team and Warren both bring veteran groups with a senior presence, while Cary and Auburn bring talented teams led by sophomores and juniors.
“We have put together four teams enjoying winning seasons,” Pedersen said. “We should have some competitive games.”
At Dundee-Crown
Stevenson, sitting at 8-1 and ranked seventh in the new Daily Herald Top 20, is part of the 40th annual Charger-Komaromy Classic at Dundee-Crown in Carpentersville. Coach Regan Carmichael’s squad brought a 6-game winning streak into the week.
The Patriots open Charger Classic play against Buffalo Grove on Dec. 26. Carmichael played in the Charger Classic as a player at Maine South. Class 4A state-ranked Maine South and Hononegah also are part of the 16-team field here.
Senior Emory Klatt continues to lead the Patriots in scoring at 16.3 points, while junior Nisha Musunuri is second behind Klatt in rebounds (4.2) and is the team’s second-leading scorer (8 ppg). Senior Kendell Williams leads the team in assists (3.2) and steals (2.4).
“We’re really excited to play at Dundee-Crown,” Carmichael said. “I played in this tournament when I was in high school and loved it. There are so many great teams and great programs. I think this will be a great test for us.”
At Grant
Grant started play in its own holiday tournament and lost to Nazareth Academy. Rockford Guilford and IC Catholic Prep are also in Fox Lake.
“It’s a very tough tournament,” Grant coach Andrea Weaver said. “We played Nazareth first and we were grateful for a chance to play a team at that level. We knew they were going to be an incredible team. Our team took up the challenge with a positive outlook and learned a lot from playing them.”
Senior shooting guard Alyssa Sandquist averages 12 points and has scoring outputs of 22 (Johnsburg), 21 (Wilmot) and 20 (Wauconda). Nevada Holm averages 9 points and 9 rebounds a game for the Bulldogs.
“Playing teams at this level gives us the confidence to go against teams in our conference and not bat an eye,” Weaver said.
At Lisle
Antioch (8-4) opens Lisle Cage Classic play against Timothy Christian on Dec. 26. Sophomore Heidi Rathmann averages 16 points per game, while senior Macie Volkmar averages 7 points and sophomore Addie Webb leads the team in rebounding at 7 per game.
“So far this season, we’ve been battling illnesses and injuries so our lineup has never been at 100 percent,” Sequoits coach Jamie D’Andrea said. “Despite that, we are finding a way to win and as our hurt and sick players get back online, I think we’ll be even tougher.”
At Loyola Academy
Carmel is 8-4 and has won six of its last seven dating back to Thanksgiving. The Corsairs, ranked 15th in the current Daily Herald Top 20 poll, are part of the 16-team bracketed Loyola Academy tournament where they open with Chicago Simeon. Senior Ashley Schlabowske averages 18 points, while senior Ana Gerstung, junior Maia Cordova and sophomore Josie Hartman are all at 3 rebounds and 2 steals per game, “and defending at a high level at the defensive end of the floor,” Carmel coach Ben Berg said. “I like how we are plying going into the Christmas tournament. We are improving in areas we need to improve in and we are finding our roles and trying to succeed at them at the highest level.”
At McHenry
Wauconda is in the midst of the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic at McHenry where it beat Marengo and lost to Crystal Lake Central in earlier action. The Bulldogs stood at 8-3 overall earlier in the week, the beneficiary of a 6-1 run over their last seven. Junior Grace Parker averages 12.1 points, while sophomore Alexia Manalo is at 7.3 points and Emma Wisniewski averages 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3 steals, while senior Helen Macey is at 7.7 rebounds.
“I am pleased with how this team is progressing,” Wauconda coach Jaime Dennis said. “We are improving and working better together as a team. Even when we are not playing our best, we figure out a way to win.”
Lakes also is in the middle of the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic at McHenry where it split a pair of games with Crystal Lake South (51-22 win) and DeKalb (48-16 loss) to kick off action. Coach Grant Murray’s squad was 6-7 at week’s beginning. Janae Pullen, a senior, averages 7.2 points, while junior Kaylee Anderson pulls down 8.5 rebounds a game and senior Inclarity Turney averages 2.5 steals.
“The McHenry tournament has given us a chance to compete against some teams outside the NLCC,” Murray noted. “It’s a busy week for us schedule-wise as well as it being finals week at Lakes. We have seen some growth in our team and look forward to competing this week and into the New Year.”
Round Lake (4-8) opened play in the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic at McHenry and lost its first two games. Senior Tia Barnes is averaging 9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3 steals, while Lisette Herrera had a career-high 16 points in a conference win against Grayslake North.
“The McHenry tournament has been a good test for us and has helped us prepare for conference play the rest of the season,” Panthers coach Molly Hennig said.
At Morton College
Lake Zurich, at 6-6 and winners of 3 of its last 4 and 6 of its last 8, are off to the Morton College Christmas Tournament. “I think it’s arguably the most difficult tournament in the state,” Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett said.
The Bears kick off play on Dec. 27 against Evanston.
Senior Anna Gilbertson and junior Molly Friesen each average 8.9 points per game, while Avery Cooper has played the last three weeks on limited minutes since her return from a knee injury suffered last February. She’s averaging 7 points, shooting 68 percent from the field and 75 percent from 3. Sophomore Alex Nowak-Tice leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 per game.
“We’re looking forward to competing against some great teams and seeing if we can get better at some things that were weaknesses the first half of the season and build some momentum for the second half,” Bennett said.
At St. Viator
Grayslake Central has a Lake County matchup to kick off the Blenner Classic at St. Viator when it faces Mundelein on Dec. 26. The Rams were 8-4 to start the week and had won five of their last six. Junior Madison Hoffmann leads Central at 14.6 points per game to go with 7.0 rebounds. Sophomore Mosey Drevline averages 3.6 assists.
“This tournament is extremely competitive and we will need to be on our game every night,” Rams coach Steve Ikenn noted. “We are starting to get some consistency in our play and have had a lot of players contributing to our success. This tournament will certainly be a good test since we will play four good teams in four days with no time to practice between games.”
Vernon Hills also is part of the St. Viator field and will play the host Lions on Dec. 26. Sophomore Keira Thomas averages 11.3 points for 4-8 Vernon Hills, while Emily Ochieng averages 6.9 rebounds.
“We are growing as a team and our young players are improving,” Cougars coach Paul Brettner said. “The competition at this tournament will be a great experience heading into January.”