Keefe, Libertyville make the grade again

If you're looking for someone who brings her 'A' game in the important fourth quarter, take a stab at Libertyville senior forward Claire Keefe.

With Grayslake North's girls basketball team mounting a little charge in the final frame, Keefe and the Wildcats attacked the basket on offense. Paired with excellent pressure defense, that put the finishing touches on a 51-40 victory in the semifinals of the Mundelein Holiday Tournament.

Libertyville, which improved to 7-7 overall and 3-0 in the 16-team tourney, moves on to play Conant, a 34-33 winner against Prairie Ridge in the other semifinal, for all of the marbles at 7 p.m. Saturday.

"I was struggling a little bit mentally in the first half," said Keefe, who ended up popping in 10 points, including 6 in the fourth quarter. She also grabbed 8 boards on the evening. "But I have awesome teammates. They really pick me up and support me when I'm down. And we communicated much better in the second half."

After the opening tip, this had the makings of a down-to-the-wire, last-second shot type of contest.

Grayslake North, which fell to 8-5 overall and 2-1 in the tournament, jumped ahead 15-10 after a short runner by sophomore guard Brandi Thibeaux (10 points) with 4:40 left in the half.

But in the blink of an eye, Libertyville woke up. And over next 7:04, the Cats blindsided the Knights with a 23-0 explosion to take a commanding 33-15 lead that stretched to the 5:36 mark of the third quarter.

Junior guard Molly Cayce started things off with a trey, and junior forward Sarah Pavelske and junior guard Maggie O'Sullivan both scored all of their 6 points during the run, which was capped off by a beautiful reverse layup by senior guard Erin Dunleavy. Thibeaux's free throw ended the burst to make it 33-16 with 5:20 left in the third.

"We haven't been all that great the first three minutes of each half," said Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen. "Grayslake North came out with a lot of intensity and quickness. But when we play with heart, hustle and muscle, like during that stretch, that's when we're at our best."

Keefe's layup then gave the Cats their biggest lead (35-16) with 4:56 left in the period. Junior guard Sidney Lovitsch went crazy in the second half, scoring 13 of her game-high 20 points as Grayslake North tried valiantly to cut into the deficit. It got to within 11 (41-30) after a 3-point play by senior forward Kelley O'Brien with 6:10 left in the game.

But Keefe went on to make 4 of 5 free-throws, and as a team Libertyville was 8-for-10 in the fourth to help keep things in check.

"We really struggled with their size and height the entire game," said Knights coach Rob Nicoletti. "Every time we tried to make a run to get back into it in the fourth, Keefe and their defense stopped us. You can't give extra possessions to a good team like Libertyville. We battled, though, and never quit."

The size difference was definitely reflected on the glass, as Libertyville earned a 27-14 rebounding advantage.