A special Saturday for high school girls basketball
Girls basketball fans can get their full share of the sport on Saturday if they show up at Fremd, St. Viator or Loyola high schools.
The 2nd annual Chicagoland Invitational begins with a 10 a.m. game at Fremd and wraps up nine games later with an 8:30 p.m. match in Palatine.
The Girls Catholic Athletic Conference/East Suburban Catholic Conference Challenge will feature four games in a row at St. Viator (Arlington Heights) and Loyola (Wilmette), beginning with a noon game and ending with a 4:40 p.m. contest.
The Chicagoland Invitational features 18 players who are committed to D-I schools, including Fremd's Bryana Hopkins (Northwestern), Brianna Lewis (Texas Southern) and Grace Tworek (Harvard).
Fremd coach Dave Yates estimates there are more than 40 players (either freshmen, sophomores or juniors) in the event who are D-I prospects.
"We are very excited to host this event," said Yates, whose club is 7-0. "We were very pleased with how it went last year and feel like we have put together another great lineup of games."
Other Mid-Suburban League teams in the showcase are Hersey (6-0) and Rolling Meadows (5-2), which faces Batavia in the 10 a.m. opener.
Hersey is in the night cap, facing St. Charles North at 8:30 p.m.
Fremd faces two-time defending Missouri champ Incarnate Word Academy at 4:30 p.m.
"We have a great collection of talent and top teams from throughout the Midwest," Yates said. "There are some great match-ups taking place that should be very entertaining to watch."
Among the top schools competing from out of state are Incarnate Wood (No. 7 in the country), Fort Wayne-Homestead (No. 1 in Indiana) and Kenosha St. Joseph (one of the top teams in Wisconsin).
State-ranked teams from Illinois include Whitney Young (No. 3 in Class 4a), Fremd (No. 5 in Class 4A) and Rock Island (No. 8 in Class 4A). Huntley and Hersey are teams receiving votes.
Top Class 1A teams competing are Annawan (No. 2), Danville-Schlarman (No. 4) and Harvest Christian Academy (No. 7).
Jayde VanHyfte of Annawan is one of the top sophomores in the state while Breanna Beal (Rock Island) is among the best freshmen.
Incarnate Word features 6-foot-2 Rickie Woltman, a freshman who is one of the top players in the nation. She is surrounded by multiple D-I athletes.
"We are looking forward to the opportunity to play Incarnate Word," Yates said. "They are one of the top teams in the midwest year in and year out.
"They are very well coached and will present a slew of challenges for our team. We are excited and honored to play them.
Other top match-ups are Whitney Young's Kiara Lewis (Ohio State recruit) against Florida-bound Karissa McLaughlin (Homestead); freshman guard Naya Peoples (Danville-Schlarman) against sophomore point guard Janae Bishop (East Chicago Central); Illinois recruit Ali Andrews (Huntley) against top junior prospect Sydney Cooks (6-4 of Racine St. Joseph High School) and Hersey junior Claire Gritt vs. Loyola (Maryland) recruit Claire Jakitus of St. Charles North.
"We are expecting a large presence of college coaches due to the amount of good players in this event." Yates added. "I hope basketball fans in the Chicagoland area take advantage of the opportunity to see some of the best teams, coaches, and players in the entire midwest under one roof."
The Chicagoland Invitational will also have a full day of games on Saturday, Jan 9.
The GCAC/ESCC Challenge lineup at St. Viator is as follows; Nazareth vs. Providence (noon), Carmel vs. Bishop McNamara (1:30 p.m.), Benet vs, Fenwick (3 p.m.) and St. Viator vs. St. Ignatius (4:30 p.m.)
The schedule at Loyola includes Regina vs. Marian Central (noon) Resurrection vs. Marist (1:30 p.m.), Loyola vs. Joliet Catholic (3 p.m.) and McAuley vs. Marian Catholic (4:30 p.m.).