Cook roundup: girls basketball,

Conant's girls basketball team improved to 9-1 and 3-0 in the Mid-Suburban West Tuesday night with a 47-30 victory over visiting Barrington.

But the Cougars hardly have time to kick back and enjoy one of their best starts in years.

They have conference games with Fremd on Thursday and Hoffman Estates on Saturday.

"It's a very exciting week for us," said Cougars senior forward Michelle Rawleigh, who scored a game-high 17 points (one 3-pointer with 8 rebounds). "We are going to have played five conference games by the end of the week. It's great opportunity for us. We're hoping to make the most of it."

The Cougars made the most of their defense in the second half as they did not allow the visitors a basket in the final 11:42 of the game.

From that point, the Cougars outscored the Fillies 16-4, giving up only 2 free throws in the final quarter by sophomore Emily Harris with 12.9 seconds left.

"We were more aware of help-side defense," Rawleigh added. "Out team defense pulled through."

Emma Loos, who grabbed a rebound and went coast to coast for layup during the Cougars' late flourish, finished with 10 points and 6 steals.

Ariana Zades added 9 for the winners, while Noreen Davis, Danielle Ladehoff and Lisa Parisi all chipped in points as well.

"The girls just pride themselves on playing hard and smart," said Cougars coach Dan Travers. "We told them at half, they weren't playing to their potential. We told them to go down fighting."

Barrington (2-8, 0-3) led by as much as 16-8 in the first half and was down only 23-22 at intermission.

Fillies freshman Shelby Whigham scored all 8 of her points in the first half while Jenny Schnack added 5.

Samantha Beach saw her first action of the season returning from an ankle injury suffered in preseason practice. The senior drove to the basket for a nice bank shot for her first points with 20 seconds left in the first period.

"Conant played hard the whole game," said Fillies coach Babbi Barreiro. "We played well the first half, but terrible in the second. In the Mid-Suburban League, you have to show up to compete the whole game. It's that simple.

"We gave Conant too many easy looks in the second half. This is a good lesson for our younger players and whole team."

The left-handed Rawleigh's 17-footer from the baseline gave Conant its first lead at 21-20 with 25 seconds left in the first half.

"Our last game with Barrington (won 34-25 two weeks ago) was still fresh in our minds," Rawleigh said. "So I think that helped in that we still remember the things they did. Our team is really close. We have seven seniors and our goal is to make it our best season in four years."

Elk Grove 72, Maine East 44: Sophomore Ashley Capotosto scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed 6 rebounds as the host Grenadiers improved to 8-3 in the nonconference game.

Olivia Roback added 10 points, 11 assists and 8 steals while Kayla Mahoney also had 10 points.

Melissa Regan collected 9 points and Maggie Fries had 8 points and 8 rebounds.

McDonald's Shootout: Pairings for the McDonald's Shootout, a top-notch girls basketball gathering scheduled for Jan. 18, 19 and 21 at Willowbrook High School, have been released.

The shootout tips off Friday night, Jan. 18, with three matches including a face-off between defending Class AA Illinois champion Fenwick and the defending Class 4A and top-rated South Bend Washington, Ind.

The Saturday lineup features six games, including a matchup between two top-rated teams in Illinois and Indiana. Buffalo Grove, led by senior twin sisters Allison and Maggie Mocchi (both bound for Northwestern) will complete against South Bend Washington at 7 p.m.. Other top games and players to watch will be top 20 Chicago area team Resurrection, with DePaul signee Deanna Ortiz, facing Bolingbrook's Janisha Geralds (St. Louis) and Miranda Tate (Temple) at 1 p.m.

The final day of the shootout on Monday, Jan. 21, begins at 10 a.m. with seven competitive matches starting with Hinsdale Central, featuring 6-foot-2 senior Molly Kinsella and Indianapolis' North Central. The last two games of the day include top 20 teams Wheeling, with 6-foot-2 Lana Rukavina (Illinois) competing against Montini at 5:30 p.m., and Schaumburg vs. Marian Catholic at 7 p.m.

Tickets for an entire day can be purchased at the door for $7 for adults, $5 for high school students and $3 for seniors and grammar school students.

For ticket information call (630) 834-9080, Monday through Friday, 10 - 4 p.m.

The full slate of games is:

Friday

Grant vs. Willowbrook, 5:30 p.m.

Kokomo (Ind.) vs. Warren, 7 p.m.

South Bend Washington (Ind.) vs. Fenwick, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday

St. Ignatius vs. Kokomo (Ind.), 11:30 a.m.

Resurrection vs. Bolingbrook, 1 p.m.

Lebanon (Ind.) vs. Sandburg, 2:30 p.m.

Loyola vs. North Pickerington (Ohio), 4 p.m.

New Trier vs. North Central Indiandapolis (Ind.), 5:30 p.m.

Buffalo Grove vs. South Bend Washington (Ind.), 7 p.m.

Monday

North Central Indianapolis (Ind.) vs. Hinsdale Central, 10 a.m.

North Pickerington (Ohio) vs. Maine South, 11:30 a.m.

DeKalb vs. Oregon-Davis (Ind.), 1 p.m.

Lake Park vs. Marist, 2:30 p.m.

Hillcrest vs. Maine West, 4 p.m.

Wheeling vs. Montini, 5:30 p.m.

Schaumburg vs. Marian Catholic, 7 p.m.

Girls volleyball

Gatorade selects Murphy: In its third decade of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in partnership with RISE Magazine, on Tuesday announced Kelly Murphy of Joliet Catholic Academy as its Gatorade Illinois Volleyball Player of the Year.

The award which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Murphy as Illinois' best high school volleyball player. Murphy is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award to be announced in mid-December.

The 6-foot-2 senior setter and outside hitter amassed 414 kills, 303 assists, 121 digs, 55 aces, and 32 blocks this fall.

Murphy played on a badly sprained ankle in leading the Angels (34-6) to within one game of the Class 3A final four. She also guided her Sports Performance Volleyball Club team to back-to-back USA Junior Olympic Championships national titles, twice earning Most Valuable Player honors.

Murphy has maintained a 4.52 GPA in the classroom and is an enthusiastic participant in the Varsity Club, the Mu Alpha Theta math honor society, the Spanish Honor Society and Student Ambassadors.