Girls basketball notes: Scouting the Lake County postseason matchups

Could it be the start of Cat Madness for the Libertyville girls basketball team?

The Wildcats, who needed to win against Zion earlier this week to earn at least a share of its sixth North Suburban Conference title in the last 8 years, earned the No. 1 seed in sub-sectional A of the Class 4A Rockford Guilford sectional — as the girls state playoffs kick into high gear next week.

Libertyville (23-5 after a 60-46 win against Glenbrook South Monday) opens play in the Mundelein regional Tuesday against that same Zion team (No. 8 seed) and would face host Mundelein (No. 4) or Grant (No. 5) for the regional title with a win. The Cats are 11-2 since Jan. 1 (Glenbrook South made 5 wins in a row).

“One game at a time,” Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen said. “We’ll stay focused on our next opponent. We scheduled as tough as we could in February (at Maine South, at Carmel, home against Glenbrook South) to get us battle ready for the February playoffs.”

Lily Fisher exploded for 34 points and 8 rebounds against Glenbrook South and had 23 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists in the win in Park Ridge against Maine South. Fisher also recently became the program’s all-time leader in career steals.

Fisher, who did not play in the team’s NSC win against Lake Forest, averages 20.1 points and also leads the team in rebounding, but Elle Knight (6 rebounds against Maine South) and Addie Casey (5 against Maine South) are also rebounding hard, Pedersen noted. Ella Pawelczyk, Charlotte Harrison and Jenna Stowe all provide consistent 3-point shooting. Libertyville also notched a recent key NSC win against Waukegan, a No. 3 sub-sectional seed.

Mundelein (19-11 overall, third North Suburban at 8-5 to start the week) faces Grant Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at home with the winner getting the Libertyville-Zion survivor.

“We are looking forward to hosting a regional,” Mundelein coach Sarah Teipel said. “Our goal is to be able to be competitive and have the opportunity to compete for a regional championship on our home floor.”

Senior Casey Vyverman (18.5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 deflections, 91% free throws), junior Grace Dunigan (9.5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 deflections) and senior Anahya Castro (8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 deflections) lead the way for the Mustangs, while Teipel also lauded seniors Madelyn Gardner and Dulce Hernandez.

“Madelyn and Dulce show an outright commitment to their team,” Teipel said. “They are captains, leaders and are consistent in the little things that don’t always shine in the stat column. They are reliable to their teammates and are constantly hustling.”

Grant lost to Mundelein early in the season, but has improved as the season has gone on, as evidenced by its 14-12 record (third in the Northern Lake County Conference at 8-5 to start the week).

Sienna Enters leads the Bulldogs at 10.1 points, while Ryan Kadlec is tops in rebounding (7.4) and assists (2.2). “Ryan leads our team defensively, always being in the right position to make a play,” coach Roger Lass noted. “Sienna has been heating up from behind the 3-point line to increase her scoring average to more than 10 points per game (also averaging almost 5 rebounds per game).”

Freshman Aubrey Lehner averages 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 deflections for Grant.

At McHenry, No. 2 seed Carmel Catholic awaits the winner of this Saturday’s No. 9 McHenry against No. 7 Round Lake matchup. If Carmel wins Monday, it will face No. 3 Waukegan or No. 6 Warren Township in the regional final.

The Corsairs (20-8 overall, third place East Suburban Catholic at 8-3) are coming off ESCC wins against St. Viator and Benet Academy with two highly notable occurrences.

In the Benet win, freshman Liv Johnson broke the school single-game scoring record with 39 points — previously held by 2024 graduate Ashley Schlabowske (36 points). Senior Josie Hartmann passed the 1,000-career point plateau in the senior night St. Viator win, becoming the sixth player in program history to do so and the only 3-sport athlete to ever accomplish the benchmark.

Johnson is averaging 18.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals, while Hartmann is at 2.2 assists and junior Maliyah Mays averages 1.4 steals and 1 block. “Maliyah consistently has been our best on-ball defender throughout the year, pressuring the teams’ other point guards,” coach Ben Berg said. “She is one of the best on-ball defenders in the ESCC.”

Senior captain Maron Bowes also drew high praise from Berg. “Marion is a complete champion in her role,” he said. “She guards, rebounds, values the ball and plays with a competitive spirit that few match.”

Berg likes how his team is playing heading into the postseason. “We are playing pretty good basketball right now,” he said. “We are still focusing on the process — knowing that will help us with the end results.”

At Schaumburg

Lake Zurich is the No. 4 seed in the Class 4A Schaumburg sectional, while Stevenson is the No. 9 seed.

Lake Zurich, which needs to beat Mundelein Wednesday to earn at least a share of the NSC title with Libertyville, started the week 20-9 and had won 11 of 13 since Jan. 1. The Bears open postseason play Tuesday in the Class 4A South Elgin regional against the host Storm (No. 13 seed). A Lake Zurich win puts it in the regional title game against either No. 5 seed Rolling Meadows or No. 12 seed Schaumburg.

Of major note, Layne Nordstrom broke the school record for career assists that had stood for 27 years, formerly held by a name veteran Lake County-area girls hoops observers will remember vividly — McDonald’s All-American Alicia Ratay (1995-1999, 399 assists). Nordstrom was at 402 and counting to start the week.

Stevenson (10-18, 5-8 North Suburban) is off to the Class 4A Hoffman Estates regional to face No. 8 Conant on Tuesday. The winner gets No. 1 Prospect, No. 17 Wheeling or No. 15 Hoffman Estates in the regional title game.

“While the record might not fully reflect the group’s growth, we have continued to compete hard against a challenging schedule and have shown steady improvement throughout the season,” Patriots coach Regan Carmichael said. “As the postseason approaches, there is a strong sense of belief within the program. The coaching staff is focused on preparing the team to be at its best, knowing that when we are playing our brand of basketball, we can compete with anyone. The emphasis will be on preparation, discipline and trusting the work that has been put in.”

Reese McLelland leads Stevenson in all major Stevenson statistical categories.

“Reese’s all-around production and consistency have provided a strong foundation on both ends of the floor and have been instrumental in keeping us competitive night in and night out,” Carmichael said.

Grace Harper also continues to play a key role. “Beyond the numbers, Grace has given this group its heartbeat,” Carmichael said. “While she may not lead the stat sheet, her intangibles, leadership by example, and steady presence have been vital to our identity. Her confidence and toughness have helped anchor the group during key stretches.”

At Grayslake Central

The 6 area Class 3A schools all feed into Grayslake Central where Vernon Hills is the No. 1 sectional seed followed by Wauconda at No. 2, host Central at No. 5, Grayslake North at No. 8, Antioch at No. 9 and Lakes at No. 10.

Central Suburban North champion Vernon Hills (20-6 overall to start the week), which beat Wauconda in a Jan. 20 nonconference game, opens play in its own Class 3A regional Tuesday against No. 16 seed Chicago Sullivan. A win on Tuesday puts the Cougars in the regional final against either Grayslake North or Lakes.

The Cougars are powered by Eve Engler (11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and hit her 200th career 3 against Niles North), Keira Thomas (10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds) and Emma Jocson (10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.6 assist-to-turnover). All three were recent all-CSL North picks.

Coach Paul Brettner noted Jocson has been key this year at the point guard position. “She controls tempo, runs our offense and gets a bucket when we need one, and she plays great defense,”’ he said.

Madison Mays averages 7.8 rebounds a game. “Madison has been a great rebounder all year,” Brettner said.

Vernon Hills is looking for its sixth regional title and first since 2022.

“We earned the No. 1 seed in our sectional, which is a great accomplishment,” said Brettner, the school’s only varsity girls basketball coach since it fully opened in 2000. “There are several really good teams, but I think we can win the sectional and keep going.”

No. 8 seed Grayslake North (12-18, tied fourth Northern Lake County at 7-6 to start the week) went 2-0 against No. 10 Lakes during conference play (48-34 and 44-41 wins).

“We’re a small team, but a dangerous one,” North coach Sean Crary said. “We’ve had several games with double-digit 3s and on any given night we can let loose. We’ve been competitive all year, even with our disadvantages height wise.”

Lucy Roscoe and Ashlyn Stoneham each average around 14 points for the Knights, while Crary also tipped his hat to Sara Carrasco and Gisele Medina. “Sara works harder than anyone out there,” he said. “She has continuously improved and played with the best of the bigs, even though she is undersized. Gisele came on late for us. She has really ignited us with her shooting. Her character and commitment are second to none.”

Lakes (9-20, sixth Northern Lake County at 4-9 to start the week) ended January and started February winning 3 of 4 games (including a big win over Deerfield).

“We have been competitive in most games since the new year,” Lakes coach Grant Murray said. “We’ve won some close ones and lost some close ones. We are looking forward to getting out and competing.”

Freshman Gianna Gray is averaging 11.4 points and sophomore Ryan Horvath is at 9.9 points. Gray leads the team with 45 made 3s. Freshman Natalie Floren averages 5.9 rebounds, while Horvath is tops in assists (1.7) and Gray leads in steals (2.4). Horvath also averages 2.2 steals. Elle Egmer, a sophomore, has taken 11 charges.

“Gianna and Ryan are the heartbeat of our team,” Lakes coach Grant Murray said. “They barely come off the floor. Their stats speak for themselves. They both are deserving of any and all accolades that come their way and they are still just learning basketball at the varsity level.”

No. 2 sectional seed Wauconda is hosting its own regional. The Bulldogs face No. 15 North Chicago Monday and a win would put it in the regional final at home against either No. 7 Streamwood or No. 11 Deerfield.

The Bulldogs moved to 23-2 with a 46-29 nonconference win against Warren Monday and sat tied for first place at 12-1 with Grayslake Central in Northern Lake County action with 1 game to play to start the week.

“We are ready to make a run,” Wauconda coach Jaime Dennis said. “We got a good seed, a good draw and we are hosting. Hopefully, all our pieces will be back in place.”

Avery Geoghan, who had 11 points and 7 rebounds against Warren, averages 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, while Alessandra Rodriguez had 7 points and 9 rebounds in the win.

Dennis said Alexia Manalo also has played a pivotal role in the team’s lofty record. “Alexia is our defensive specialist and floor leader all season,” Dennis said. “She keeps us organized and fires us with her effort and intensity. We are not (23-2) without her.”

Sectional host Grayslake Central heads Chicago to face No. 12 seed Bensenville Fenton Tuesday as part of the Resurrection regional. A Rams win puts it in the regional final against either the hosts (No. 4 seed) or No. 13 seed Norridge Ridgewood.

The Rams started the week tied for first in the NLCC with Wauconda at 12-1 (18-9 overall). Central split with Wauconda (56-45 loss and 45-30 win) during the regular season.

“We are playing our best basketball of the season, which is always the goal come playoff time,” Central coach Steve Ikenn said. “The postseason is never easy and the road ahead is filled with tough teams, but we are ready for it, so hopefully we can stay healthy and make a run.”

Peyton Hoffmann leads Central in scoring (15.1 points per game), rebounds (7.3 per game), assists (2.8 per game) and blocks (1.8 per game), while Autumn Aliff is tops in steals (2.5).

“Peyton Hoffmann has been the team leader both on and off the court,” Ikenn said. “Every team game plans to slow her down every night, but she fights through and leads us in most statistical categories. She is also the player who will pull the team together in tight situations and make sure they are all on the same page.”

Mosey Drevline, who has started every game at the point, averages 5.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals. “Mosey has been a steadying force on the offensive side of the ball and a tough on-the-ball defender,” Ikenn said. “Mosey quietly goes about her business every night and has put up solid numbers in her senior season.”

Antioch (11-17, 7-6 NLCC to start the week) opens play at home in its own regional Monday against No. 6 seed Lake Forest. The winner gets either No. 3 St. Viator or No. 14 CICS/Northtown in the regional final.

Antioch and Lake Forest are no strangers. This is the third meeting between the two. Lake Forest won 49-48 in Antioch’s Thanksgiving tournament on a bizarre shot-clock-related sequence that resulted in Lake Forest hitting a last-second shot to win it. The Sequoits defeated the Scouts 57-48 earlier this week.

“I know we can match up well with them,” Antioch coach Jamie D’Andrea said.

Heidi Rathmann is averaging a team-best 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds to lead the Sequoits, while Scarlett Carroll is averaging 7.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and team bests in assists (2.9) and steals (2.7).

“Heidi has scored more than 500 points this season, so we can often count on her to be an offensive threat,” D’Andrea said. “On the defensive end, Scarlett and Addie Webb often take on the other team’s strongest scorer and they both do a really nice job preventing that girl from scoring.”