Girls basketball: Fisher leads Libertyville past Stevenson with big second half
After losing to Libertyville 52-25 on Dec. 11, host Stevenson was looking to make a statement in the rematch Friday night in a North Suburban Conference girls basketball rivalry.
And the prideful Patriots were ready for this showdown as they took a 21-19 lead into halftime over the Wildcats, who were looking to remain undefeated in the conference.
But Libertyville (18-5, 10-0) refused to be denied as it outscored Stevenson 20-11 in the second half to post a 39-32 victory behind a game-high 18 points by sophomore Lily Fisher.
The contest was close the whole way. But a 3-pointer by Libertyville's Elinor Lindal (13 points, three 3-pointers) gave the Wildcats a 24-21 lead early in the third quarter and Stevenson (14-9, 7-3) never led again after that point.
Libertyville outscored the Patriots 12-5 in the third quarter to take a 31-26 lead into the final quarter. Eight turnovers in the second half, including 3 turnovers in the final 1:21 of the contest, hampered the Pats' chances of making a late comeback.
"Our defense in the first half was kind of shaky so in the second half we just picked it up," said Fisher, who had 10 points in the second half. "Now we've just got to beat Lake Zurich (in the NSC). We just have to stay aggressive and consistent and we'll be good."
An inside basket by Stevenson's Sydney Rosland (9 of 11 points in first half), and two free throws by teammate Nisha Musunuri (8 of team-high 12 points in first half) cut the lead to 31-30 with 5:38 to play.
But a 3-pointer by Lindal and 5 free throws by Fisher capped an 8-0 run to give the Wildcats a 39-30 lead with just nine seconds to play. The game was broadcast on the Marquee Sports Network.
"We knew this would be a just grudge match and we would have to grind out a victory here. And I thought that Stevenson brought a lot of energy," said Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen, whose team trailed 21-14 late in the first half. "I was pretty impressed with our team defense in the second half. And Elinor Lindal did a great job, she was a fireball there on defense."
Sophia Swanson wound up with 4 points for Libertyville while Stevenson's Alexa Karcz scored 3 points in the defensive struggle.
"I'm really proud of this fight, and obviously it's one of those game where someone has to lose," said Stevenson coach Regan Carmichael. "It was one of our best ever first-half games. But we just got a little stagnant in our half-court offense in the second half there and we would like to have some plays back where we had some turnovers."