Girls basketball notes: Grayslake Central remains team to beat in NLCC; Libertyville streaking in NSC

Grayslake Central sits at an unbeaten 9-0 in Northern Lake County Conference action and 19-5 overall after beating Stevenson 45-38 Monday in Lincolnshire and wins against Grayslake North and Round Lake in conference action.

The Rams hold a one-game lead over Wauconda and a three-game lead over Antioch heading into the home stretch of NLCC play. Central has games against the Bulldogs and Sequoits still on the schedule.

And another notable: Standout Madison Hoffmann is over the 1,600 career-point mark now, passing Kate Bullman and moving into third place all-time at Central, averaging 13 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 3.1 steals.

Annie Wolff has averaged 13.2 points over her last 5 games “and has provided tough defense and great leadership,” coach Steve Ikenn noted.

Ikenn also likes the way Mosey Drevline has stepped it up of late. “Mosey has been playing relentless defense and does a great job at the point handling the ball,” he said.

Ikenn said Central has benefited from a tough schedule this season, “against really good competition and has learned to better deal with close games and big moments in those games,” he said. “Numerous players have also stepped up throughout the season to contribute in key moments. Our team defense has continually improved and we are doing a nice job sharing the basketball.”

Libertyville update: The wins keep flowing into the Libertyville girls basketball team’s wallet.

Entering the week, coach Greg Pedersen’s squad is 18-5 and a perfect 10-0 in North Suburban Conference action, winners of 13 of its last 14 games, including a 39-32 victory over Stevenson.

Lily Fisher had 18 points and 8 rebounds in the win at Stevenson. “Lily is playing the best basketball of her young high school career right now and is really making smart decisions on when to drive, when to shoot, when to pass,” Pedersen said.

Pedersen pointed out Fisher sank all 4 of her free-throw attempts at the end of the Stevenson game to ice it.

Elinor Lindal (13 points, including a key late 3 against Stevenson) also has excelled of late.

“More importantly, Elinor’s defense was the most important part of forcing turnovers and limiting Stevenson’s shot attempts.”

A quick check of the North Suburban standings via Max Preps shows Libertyville had a 2-game lead for the top spot to start the week with 4 league games to play.

Grayslake North update: The Knights started the week 7-18 overall and 4-6 in Northern Lake County action.

“We have seen amazing improvement recently on both ends of the floor,” said North coach Maggie Mahar, whose team recorded recent conference wins against Grant and Lakes. “The girls are really buying into what we are doing. With increased patience on the offense end and better shot selection, point totals have increased, making us more competitive.”

Junior Lucy Roscoe and sophomore Ashlynn Stoneham lead the team in scoring at 11 points per game.

Junior Jane Pritchard, Mahar noted, has stepped up and has “taken on responsibilities required by the point guard position by handling full-court defensive pressure as well as distributing the ball for scoring opportunities,” she said.

Contributions by front-court players Mikayla Gumapas (only senior on the team), Anisah Lawrence (sophomore) and junior Sarah Robledo Carrasco, “have provided much-needed rebounding at both ends of the floor for our undersized team,” Mahar said.

Freshmen Chloe Strebel, Mia Gumapas and Grace Hoker have played significant minutes coming off the bench, Mahar noted.

“All our players have done a remarkable job of buying into both a new offensive and defensive system,” she said. “The progress made over the past few months is very encouraging and we are looking forward to finishing strong through the remainder of the season.”

Lakes update: Eagles coach Grant Murray loves the way Wrenna Streicher and Ryan Horvath have been playing off the bench.

“Wrenna and Ryan have been spark plugs,” he said. “Both are plus defenders and Wrenna, in particular, has been hot from the outside over the last couple weeks.”

Lakes is 9-11 overall and 4-5 in Northern Lake County action. The Eagles recently avenged an earlier loss to Woodstock North.

Kaylee Anderson leads the team in scoring (7 points), rebounding (6.3 per game) and steals (1.7) while Kaylie Schneider and Adelyn Martin each average a team-best 2.1 assists and Caitlin Bloom is tops in charges taken with 8.

Lake Zurich update: Another North Suburban team tearing it up is Lake Zurich, winners of 7 in a row to start the week and 12 of 13 (17-6 overall, 8-2 NSC). The Bears recently upended Waukegan 43-35 in conference play.

Molly Friesen was named player of the game against Glenbrook South at the Kipp Hoopsfest last weekend.

The Bears have games this week against Libertyville, Lake Forest and Barrington.

“We’re just trying to peak at the end of the season,” Bears coach Chris Bennett said.

Round Lake: Here’s something that falls into the “bet you didn’t know” category. Round Lake senior captain Heydee Saucedo is an IHSA official herself.

“Heydee has been a floor leader for us all season,” Panthers coach Molly Hennig said. “She brings valuable leadership to the starting lineup.”

This month, Saucedo is averaging 4 points and 5 rebounds, “but it’s her effort on every play that truly makes a difference and inspires her teammates.”

Senior guard Regina Ocampo, who recovered from an ACL injury last season, has stepped up significantly due to injuries and illness on the Panthers’ roster, Hennig explained.

“Regina has made her return this year,” she said. “She has played tough defense and effectively controlled the offense as one of our point guards.”

Round Lake beat Zion 50-18 Monday to move to 8-17 overall (the Panthers are 2-6 in NLCC action).

Emma Franks (9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals), Lissette Herrera (7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals), Kaleigh Skowronski (5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists) and Brianna Arteaga (5 points, 2 steals) are the Panthers’ top stat leaders.

“With 5 seniors on the team, their impact has been significant,” Hennig said. “Our underclassmen have gained a lot from their leadership this season. With 6 regular-season games remaining, we expect the seniors to continue guiding the team through tough competition.”

Vernon Hills update: The Cougars are now 17-9 after defeating Grant 60-51 in a nonconference game Monday. Vernon Hills sits at 6-3 in Central Suburban North play. Other recent wins have come against Buffalo Grove (47-45 on MLK Day) and at Niles West (47-33) in a CSL North game.

In terms of the CSL North, Highland Park has 1 loss and the Cougars have lost twice to the Giants. Vernon Hills would have to win its last two league games and have Highland Park lose its last two in order to gain the conference title.

Keira Thomas (12.5 points per game), Emma Jocson (10.5 ppg), Madison Mays (7.4 rebounds) and Emily Ochieng (6 rebounds) lead the way for the Cougars.

Mays had 18 points and 17 rebounds (12 offensive) in the Niles West win, while also shooting 8-for-10 from the free-throw line. Coach Paul Brettner noted Frannie Poulos has been a very steady presence of late.

“Frannie gives us good defense and guard play,” he said. “She is also one of our top threats from the 3-point line.”

Brettner has seen good growth from his squad throughout the season. “We have grown into a team that plays hard for 32 minutes,” he said. “When we lose, it is usually the other team having a better shooting night.”

Wauconda update: Wauconda coach Jaime Dennis is hard-pressed to identify a couple kids who are tearing it up of late. And for good reason.

“Every night it’s someone different stepping up and making a difference,” Dennis said. “They are playing so well as a team.”

Wauconda has averaged more than 19 assists a game over the last 3 games.

“We have shut down teams with great defense,” Dennis added. “There is no one bright, shining star. They are all shining in their own ways. It has been fun to watch this team’s transformation throughout the season.”

The Bulldogs, winners of 5 in a row, including games against Vernon Hills (54-44) and Antioch (67-55), started the week a robust 17-2 overall and 8-1 in Northern Lake County action, losing only to Grayslake Central on the circuit with another game against the Rams in February.

Grace Parker leads the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, while Emma Wisniewski is tops in rebounds at 6.8. Kelsey Piehl shoots 51.4% from the floor and 75% from the foul line. Alexia Manalo averages 4.1 assists, 3 steals and 3.8 deflections a contest.