Martino, Wauconda keep their eyes on the prize

Errant passes on the perimeter and ballhandlers struggling with their dribble cause Kate Martino's eyes to get as big as saucers.

What excites Wauconda's pesky senior guard even more is the possibility of winning a conference championship.

Martino put the Bulldogs that much closer to securing their first-ever berth in the North Suburban Conference title game by totaling 15 points, 9 steals and 4 assists in a surprisingly easy 47-30 win over host Vernon Hills last Saturday. The victory moved Wauconda (9-1) into sole possession of first place, a game better than Vernon Hills (8-2). Each team has two remaining divisional games.

Two years ago, Martino and starting backcourt partner Tammy Ellis, two of Lake County's best at stealing the basketball, were key members of coach Tim Bartusch's squad that won the program's first regional championship in 15 years.

Bartusch's assistant, Jaime Dennis, took over the varsity team last year and coached the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish behind Round Lake in the NSC Prairie.

"I want to play a cross game for the championship," Martino said. "That would be awesome. I've never done that. It's just nice to get a regional title and then have the chance to be able to win a conference title for two different coaches in high school."

Wauconda resumes NSC Prairie play next Tuesday at home against Antioch and will entertain Grant a week from Saturday. Earlier this month, Wauconda beat Antioch 44-35 and topped Grant 46-37.

"Not gimmes," Martino said of the upcoming games, noting Antioch is always tough and Grant beat Vernon Hills in the Mundelein tournament over the holidays. Grant also has a win over Zion-Benton.

Wauconda crushed Glenbrook North 63-23 on Tuesday to improve to 16-4 and will take an eight-game winning steak into Friday night's contest against 16-6 Stevenson in Lincolnshire.

"We're starting to hit our stride," Dennis said following the Vernon Hills game.

"We're starting to put together more quarters. In the first half of the season, we'd see a great first and a great fourth, but the second and third weren't very good. We're starting to get a little more consistency throughout the game and not having those letups or bad quarters."

That's a rivalry: It's the old "throw out the records" when Vernon Hills and Wauconda meet. Wauconda's 47-30 win in last Saturday first-place showdown avenged a 51-44 loss on its home court on Dec. 9.

The teams met three times last season with Wauconda winning each game, including 60-23 in the regional at Wauconda. During the regular season, Wauconda won 52-48 and 52-46 in overtime.

Wauconda also swept the regular-season series two years ago, but included was a 59-54 decision.

Vernon Hills swept the season series in 2006-07, with one final being 45-44.

"Even when Tim (Bartusch) was coaching, we always had good games against Vernon Hills," said Jaime Dennis, who was Bartusch's assistant coach before he stepped down following the 2007-08 season. "Really, no matter what the records are, it seems like when we meet, the best of us comes out."

FVC Fox showdown: Red-hot Grayslake Central visits Johnsburg for a 7 p.m. tipoff today, with the winner moving into solo possession of first place in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division.

Each team has 1 loss in the division and will have 1 remaining game after tonight.

Johnsburg defeated Grayslake Central 56-47 on Jan. 5 - the Rams haven't lost since then - but the Skyhawks were playing at less than full strength when they fell to Woodstock.

Against Grayslake North last Friday night, Skyhawks guard Melissa Dixon returned after missing three games with back spasms and scored 21 points.

Grayslake Central's 74-40 win over Woodstock on Wednesday night stretched the Rams' winning streak to six games and improved their record to 16-5 overall and 9-1 in the FVC Fox.

Another win for Lakes: After winning just twice in its first four years as a varsity team, this season Lakes counts 7 victories, including a 52-49 decision over Grayslake North on Monday night.

Lakes (7-14) trailed by 5 points at halftime.

"Again, the girls do not give up," first-year coach Pete Schneider said. "We changed up the offense to take advantage of some overplaying and got us some good looks.

"Grayslake North definitely has some shooters. (Lauren) Erickson can knock down the 3s from just about anywhere. Ashley Parmly and Jenelle Christianson did a great job of knowing where she was and getting a hand up."

Erickson sank five 3-pointers and ended up with 16 points for Grayslake North.

"(Coach) Jim Sarver gets them ready and he has a lot of good young players on his team," Schneider said. "We came out sluggish and needed some encouragement to get fired up and do what we are capable of doing. The girls responded and met the challenge. We are not a great team but have the capability of playing great at times."

Lakes sophomore Katie Brinser led all scorers with 18 points, while Parmly had 13.

Asja Triplett grabbed 14 rebounds, and Chantayla Bloomfield chipped in 6 points and 9 rebounds.

"We got some great minutes from Chantayla Bloomfield," Schneider said. "I can't say enough about the effort she has been putting out. This is a girl that started much of last year and has not seen as many minutes this year but has never let it stop her form working hard, and it is showing."

Lakes has Senior Night tonight against North Chicago.