Girls basketball: Libertyville completes Winter Classic championship with win over Mother McAuley

Lilly Fisher and Madison Sears each came up just short of a double-double performance in helping the Libertyville girls basketball team claim the Libertyville Winter Classic Championship.

The Wildcats swept the field and finished with a 51-41 victory against Mother McAuley on Saturday.

“It was really fun getting to play at home and getting all the wins,” Fisher said.

Fisher, who was named to the all-tournament team along with Sears, led the team with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Assistant coach Kurt Hironimus, who was filling in for head coach Greg Pedersen who was out for a family function, said he admired Fisher’s composure when she wasn’t getting to the free-throw line like she is accustomed.

“Normally she gets to the line a ton, even early in the game,” he said. “She overcame that and said ‘I’m going to keep going hard at the basket. I am going to make the ball go in if they are not going to call it.”’

Sears added nine points to go along with 14 rebounds for the Wildcats who improved to 12-4.

Mother McAuley, who was undersized and shorthanded, kept the game close with an aggressive defense and timely 3-point shooting.

Quinn Arundel and Delia Sullivan led the charge in the fourth quarter and got Mother McAuley within 6 with just under a minute to play after Arundel completed a three-point play.

Arundel had 9 of her game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, while Sullivan added a pair of 3s in the final frame. She finished with 9.

Sophia Swanson, who was scoreless going into the fourth, put the game away at the free-throw line, sinking five shots from the charity stripe at the end, and finished with 8 points.

Libertyville led by as many as 12, but Mother McAuley went on several small runs to keep it close. But it seemed like Elinor Lindal always made a play to take back the momentum.

When Mother McAuley got within 24-20 in the third, it was Lindal who sank a 3. In the first half and the game tied, Lindal helped spark a 9-2 run with a layup and 3-pointer. She finished with 12 points.

“She uses her athleticism to just find a way,” Hironimus said. “She was one of the girls I pointed out before the game that I thought she had an advantage against pretty much anyone they would try to match up with her because she is more athletic and she has really good touch too.”

The trio of Fisher, Sears, and Lindal were a consistent force throughout the tournament as Libertyville took down Evanston, Auburn, and Cary-Grove to increase its winning streak to seven games.

“I think it is just the team chemistry,” Sears said. “We have been playing more as a team, more together. We are getting the passes and the shots. It’s the chemistry we have been building over the season and its finally coming together like a puzzle.”

Fisher averaged 13.2 points per game for the tournament, including a 21-point performance against Evanston. Sears put up 22 points against Auburn and averaged 12 points per game, while Lindal gave the Wildcats 8.5 points per game in the tournament.

Libertyville will look to continue its strong play in the new year with a matchup against Yorkville Friday.

“I think our bench played really well this tournament,” Sears said. “I am really proud of them and I think the future is bright for us.”