Cunningham connects in Lakes' victory over Round Lake

A senior stepped up in front of seniors.

Ashlee Cunningham, the lone senior on Lakes' girls basketball team, netted a game-high 17 points as the Eagles defeated visiting Round Lake 54-33 in a North Suburban Prairie Division game Saturday.

Fifteen senior citizens from the Victory Lakes assisted living facility attended and cheered on the home team.

"It was great to have some of our friends from Victory Lakes attending," Lakes coach Pete Schneider said. "The team went over and helped out decorating for the holidays and we are trying to plan additional events with them. This is a two-way relationship. The team enjoys getting to know these great seniors, and they enjoy sharing in our success and getting to know the girls.

"I was impressed with their knowledge of the game," Schneider added. "Many know and can talk basketball. Definitely a win win."

Cunningham's play helped spark Lakes to a 38-15 lead by halftime.

"Ashlee is one of our leaders and she is playing well," Schneider said. "She works hard and is a true leader in the way she supports all of her teammates. I could not be happier for her. She has aspirations of playing in college and she will be a very good college player."

Lakes (8-11, 5-2) led from start to finish.

"We applied some of our better defensive pressure with good rotations," Schneider said. "The girls are taking defense seriously and are beginning to understand the philosophy."

Nicole Mogged put together another strong game for the Eagles, scoring 10 points and acting as floor leader, Schneider said.

Aaliyah Chastang led Round Lake (4-16, 0-8) with 13 points. Adriana Pitts and Bianca Mahoney had 8 and 7 points, respectively.

Grant 38, Wauconda 27: Bri Miller scored 8 points, and Grant overcame a 15-13 halftime deficit, outscoring the hosts 12-6 in the third quarter and 13-6 in the fourth to win the North Suburban Prairie contest.

Grant (5-13, 4-3) also received 7 points from Kassie Stimpson.

Chavez Coombs had 7 points for Wauconda (6-12, 1-7).

Stevenson 41, Warren 32: Freshman Taylor Buford scored 6 of her season- and game-high 13 points in the first quarter, as the North Suburban Lake Division leaders won in Gurnee.

Stevenson (15-5, 6-1), which won its fifth straight, jumped out to an 11-0 lead and was up 15-3 after one quarter.

"Warren came out in a zone and we passed the ball very well," Patriots coach Tom Dineen said. "We handled their zone very well."

Alex Elzinga added a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds for Stevenson, and Kari Moffat chipped in 9 points.

"The kids played very well," Dineen said. "Great effort."

Amanda Barger had 12 points for Warren (12-8, 4-4), which had won three in a row and seven of its last eight.

Libertyville 46, Zion-Benton 38: Alex Haley's game-high 17 points (two 3-pointers) led the visiting Wildcats, who trailed the North Suburban Lake game 36-35 after three quarters but held the Zee-Bees to just 2 points in the fourth.

Libertyville (15-4, 6-2) also received 11 points from Nicole Kruckman.

Octavia Crump scored 13 points for Zion-Benton.

Antioch 55, North Chicago 52: Megan Borries scored 8 of her 10 points in the fourth quarter, and Lindsey Gofron had what coach Tim Borries called one of her best all-around games of the season, as the visiting Sequoits won in North Suburban Prairie action.

Gofron rang up 11 points (three 3-pointers), 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, helping Antioch (10-9, 6-1) erase a four-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Borries hit a pair of 3s in the fourth.

Paige Gallimore added 11 points and 5 rebounds for the Sequoits, while Brittany Kelly and Alex Fracek each grabbed 7 rebounds.

Dara Tanner and Darinqua Hood each had 20 points for North Chicago.

Grayslake Central 44, Woodstock North 41: Skyler Jessop and Claire Brennan scored 15 and 13 points, respectively, and the visiting Rams prevailed to remain perfect in the Fox Valley Fox Division.

Grayslake Central (16-3, 6-0) outscored the Thunder 13-10 in the fourth quarter, as Brennan scored 7 points and Jessop went 4 of 4 from the foul line. Morgan Dahlstrom added 8 points for the Rams, who won their fifth in a row.