Lake girls basketball notes: NLCC race shaping up to be a dogfight

There will be no shortage of excitement as the Northern Lake County Conference girls basketball championship race comes down the home stretch.

At week’s beginning, Grayslake Central was undefeated in conference play with Antioch and Wauconda hot on their heels, each at 7-1 in NLCC action. Antioch and Central battled earlier this week, while Antioch and Wauconda still have to play twice due to a previous cancellation.

Antioch (15-6 overall) solidified its league positioning after wins against Lakes, Round Lake and North Chicago. Heidi Rathmann averages 18 points per game for the Sequoits, while Addie Webb is at 7 rebounds, and coach Jamie D’Andrea also has been pleased with what senior Hailey Caya is doing.

“Hailey Caya is a senior whose stat line isn’t capturing what she brings to the team in effort and leadership,” she said.

Wauconda update: The Bulldogs moved to 13-5 overall (7-1 NLCC) with a close 32-30 nonconference win over Vernon Hills where Grace Parker (7 points, 7 rebounds), Ella Franck (6 points, 8 rebounds) and Emma Wisniewski (8 rebounds) starred. Bulldogs coach Jaime Dennis noted the team’s first Antioch game has been postponed three times.

Parker leads the team in scoring (11.1 points), while Alexia Manalo is at 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while Wisniewski leads the team defensively (2.6 steals, 3.2 deflections) while also contributing 6.2 points. Helen Macey averages 7 rebounds. “Alexia is keeping us organized on the floor as our point guard,” Dennis said.

Carmel update: Senior Ashley Schlabowske is nearing 1,000 points for her career, while sophomore Josie Hartman and senior Keira Ackerson are both scoring at high levels, coach Ben Berg noted. The Corsairs started the week 13-10 overall and 3-4 in East Suburban Catholic action.

Grayslake Central update: The Northern Lake County-leading Rams (7-0, NLCC, 15-6 overall) hold recent conference wins over Wauconda (by 7), Grayslake North (by 14) and Grant (by 29).

Rams standouts of late have included Ava Henne, Katelyn Marcelain and Mosey Drevline. “Ava’s play cannot be described by numbers,” coach Steve Ikenn said. “She comes off the bench and gives us instant energy, great defense and she does whatever is needed to help the team be successful. She leads the team in charges taken and is sixth in minutes played. Katelyn sometimes goes unnoticed but her play in the post shouldn’t. She plays solid interior defense. Mosey handles the ball well, and plays great on-the-ball defense.”

Marcelain averages 7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals, while Drevline averages 5 points and 3 assists.

Grayslake North update: The Knights recently downed McHenry 37-21. Senior Jada Kemp has drawn praises from coach Brian Frericks. “Jada has taken a big step up this year,” she said. “She is a leader on and off the court and leads the team with 10 charges taken. She is a high-energy player who gives her all every time.”

Freshman Anisah Lawrence also continues to improve, as does leading scorer Lucy Roscoe (8 points per game). “Most of the time, Anisah is the smallest one on the court, but she is fearless,” Frericks said. “Lucy is our most efficient scorer.”

Lakes update: Inclarity Turney, who already holds the school record for steals in a season and career, is threatening her own record with 67 steals this season. She’s also tops on the team in assists (66) and blocked shots (22). She’s 10 blocks away from breaking the school career record.

Kaylee Anderson averages 7.7 rebounds, and the junior is in hot pursuit of the school record for rebounds in a season, while last week Madison Twarling scored 16 points against Antioch and 11 against Round Lake to help power Lakes (8-11, 4-4 NLCC). The senior guard, “has emerged as a leader for us,” coach Grant Murray said.

Lake Zurich update: The Bears (12-12 overall) sit in third place in the North Suburban at 7-3 after losses to a Libertyville team that shot .670 from the floor, and a 1-point loss to Illinois Route 22 rival Stevenson.

Coach Chris Bennett has been thrilled with the sophomore trio of Leah Gilbertson (7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds), point guard Layne Nordstrom (2.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists) and 6-2 Alex Nowak-Tice. (6.1 points, 6.2 rebounds) “They have all stepped up and played big roles,” he said. Nowak-Tice has started all but four games that she missed with an injury.

Libertyville update: The wins continue to pile up for Libertyville, which sat at 19-4 overall and 7-2 in North Suburban action to start the week. Recent wins against Hinsdale South, Lake Zurich and Warren were by 20 or more points.

While the Rule sisters (Kate and Rachel) continue to lead the Cats, Maddy Kopala has been busy on the defensive end, shutting down key players in those three recent wins (1 was held to 11 points and the other two to single digits). “Maddy’s a key part of what we do,” coach Greg Pedersen said.

Libertyville hit 10 threes in the Lake Zurich win, while freshman Lily Fisher had 13 points on 7 shots to go with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 deflections, 3 steals and 3 blocks in 25 minutes against Warren. Madison Sears had 10 points and 10 rebounds against Warren, her second double-double of the season.

Mundelein update: Sophomore Casey Vyverman (14 points, 3 rebounds, 2.5 assists) is the team’s new primary point guard this year and has excelled like an old hand there, coach Sarah Teipel noted. “Casey has handled the constant pressure all season by attacking it downhill,” she said. “Her role has also been stopping one of the best players each game.”

Seniors Rylan Foster (16 points, 6 rebounds, 4-year varsity) and Erin Frank also have helped the 13-11 Mustangs greatly. “Rylan has been leading her team through her hard work, vocality, aggressive drives and defense,” Teipel said. “Erin may not shine in the stat categories, but her positive leadership has made all her teammates better.”

Round Lake update: Judith Cerroblanco turned in a fine week for the Panthers recently with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals against Lakes and had 11 points, three 3s, 9 rebounds and 4 assists against Antioch. “Judith really stepped up in our back-to-back games to give us a chance to win both,” coach Molly Hennig said.

Vernon Hills update: Improved free-throw shooting has been a big deal for the Cougars (8-15, 5-2 Central Suburban North), who are shooting 9 percent higher over the last six games from the foul line compared to the previous 17 games.

Vernon Hills finds itself in a 3-way tie for first in the North to start the week, sharing the top perch with Highland Park and Maine West. Coach Paul Brettner noted if the Cougars win out in league play they are guaranteed at least a share of the crown.

Individually, Brettner labels Sarah Zimmerman and Jori Ellen as “amazing kids to have on the team,” he said. “They do not get much playing time, but they are a big part of our team. They are wonderful kids who have tremendous value in the chemistry/togetherness department.”