Hoffmann sisters lead Grayslake into sectional final

Grayslake Central ‘s Madison Hoffmann was too much for Resurrection Tuesday at the Class 3A Antioch sectional semifinals.

The 6-foot-1 Hoffmann, who has seven college offers, scored 24 points, had 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots as Grayslake Central pulled away from Resurrection 59-45.

Grayslake Central (26-6), which has won 14 in a row and 17 of its last 18 and is the top seed, will meet 10th-seeded St. Viator in the sectional final on Thursday. St. Viator stunned second-seeded Cary-Grove in the other sectional semifinal.

“We had a tough schedule early and that told us what we needed to work on,” Grayslake Central coach Steve Ikenn said. “And to their credit they have worked on it.”

Ikken said that the Rams’ ability to get rebounds was a huge key.

“We said at halftime that we needed to make that an effort in the second half,” said Ikken, whose team won the rebounding battle 31-22.

“If they were getting shots, we had to make sure we were getting the rebounds.”

Grayslake Central led Resurrection 33-32 midway through the third quarter when Hoffmann, a senior, and her sister Peyton (11 points, 8 rebounds), a freshman, helped the Rams pull away.

Madison Hoffmann drilled her second 3-pointer of the quarter to get things started. Peyton Hoffmann followed with a basket inside and Madison Hoffmann knocked down a short jumper as the Rams opened up a 40-32 lead.

“We just all came out with high energy,” Madison Hoffmann said. “That's what we talked about. That and having fun out there.”

Resurrection (21-11) pulled to within 47-42 and trailed 49-43 in the fourth quarter. But when Madison Hoffmann ended the Bandits’ hopes when she ignited another 7-0 run to put game away.

“Rebounding is the plan every night,” said Annie Wolf, who had 12 points and seven rebounds. “We knew we had to bring it with Resurrection being such a scrappy team.”

Mosey Drevline added six points for Grayslake Central.

St. Viator 51, Cary-Grove 39:

St. Viator certainly didn’t play like a No. 10 seed during its Class 3A Antioch sectional semifinal against No. 2 seed Cary-Grove Tuesday evening.

The Lions (10-24) put on a tremendous defensive display, holding C-G (20-12) to just 24.5 percent shooting from the field, en route to a 51-39 victory.

Even more eye-opening was the fact the Lions held the Trojans to just 1 for 22 from 3-point range.

C-G missed its first 13 3s, before finally sinking one with 6:45 left in the fourth quarter.

But by then, the damage had been done.

There were seven ties or lead changes during the first three quarters, as the Trojans somehow managed to keep things close with a relentless defensive effort of their own, forcing 20 turnovers.

But in the end, the red-hot hand of Lions senior Mia Bergstrom — a Division I St. Louis University commit — was too much for C-G to overcome.

Bergstrom had a game-high 28 points, and shot 6 for 10 from the field with five 3s, propelling the Lions into Thursday’s 7 p.m. sectional title game against No. 1 seed Grayslake Central.

She also sank 11 of her 12 free throws, with 14 of her points coming in the fourth, when the pressure was at its greatest.

“I tell the girls all the time, this is why we play such a ridiculously tough schedule,” Lions coach Kyle Braheny said. “To prepare for games like these.

“We aren’t your typical No. 10 seed. Playing in the East Suburban Catholic Conference is no joke. Hats off to Cary, they had us really frustrated with their defensive intensity, but we found a way somehow.”

Tuesday’s loss marked the end of four C-G seniors’ high school hoops careers. Katelyn Gitzke, Morgan Haslow, Kayli McMorris and Emily Larry.

C-G coach Tony Moretti addressed his team in the locker room and thanked them.

“I told them I was proud of them,” Moretti said. “They worked this offseason to turn this program around from last season.

“There’s not much else to say. Credit to St. Viator. They played well tonight and knocked down big shots when they needed to.”

Though it didn’t yield the results she’d hoped, C-G sophomore Kennedy Manning sank plenty of shots of her own, offering a glimpse of the Trojans’ future.

Her 16-point effort was a team-best, but her five steals, eight rebounds and four assists as a point guard exemplified what type of scrappy player she is.

“And she’s still just a pup,” Moretti said. “I think we’re gonna see great things from her in the future.”

Also great, from St. Viator’s perspective, is having the school’s single season scoring record holder in Bergstrom on its roster, as they prepare for Grayslake Central.

“She had over 650 points this season, prior to tonight,” Braheny said. “Having said that, we’re gonna need all hands on deck Thursday. Because Grayslake handed it to us earlier in the year. But we’re a much different team now.”

That game, a 53-21 romp by Grayslake Central on Dec. 27, has the Rams feeling very confident headed into the rematch, with a sectional crown at stake.

— Tim Froehlig, Shaw Local