Stevenson freshman Miller has fun shooting 71
Shooting a 71 is a stellar golf round for many - but for Stevenson freshman Stephanie Milller, it wasn't up to par.
Miller fired a 1-under par en route to capturing medalist honors Wednesday afternoon on the par-72, 5,027-yard layout at Bittersweet Golf Club in the Class 2A Warren girls golf regional.
But with the way Miller was playing, she had her sights set on a score in the 60s.
"I could've done so much better," said Miller, who recorded a personal-best 6 birdies. "I finished with a double bogey (on No. 18). I shot well on the front nine and I wanted to keep things going."
Miller's effort helped Stevenson take the regional title with a 347. Highland Park (361) and Warren (383) also earned team berths in the Monday's Buffalo Grove sectional at Buffalo Grove Golf Course.
Other scores for the Patriots included Ewa Kaszuba's 86, Grace Song's 93, Nicole Crosby's 97, Claire Lavezzorio's 98 and Sylvia Suh's 107.
Warren advanced to the sectional for the second time in the last three years. Plus, the Blue Devils engineered a better performance than last week's in the North Suburban Conference tournament at Lake Bluff Golf Course, where they finished fourth.
"It was great for us. We came together as a team," Warren coach Leigh Ann Boncher said.
"We deserved every bit of it to get there (to the sectional). The best thing is that we beat all the teams in our conference after last week."
The Blue Devils were led by Lauren Patnoe (89), Dana Lindelof (95), Kim Spangler (97), Lindsay Holst (102), Jessica Chiesa (106) and Erin Walker (110).
Golfers who advanced to the sectional as individual included Buffalo Grove's Grace Kil (76) and KC Dunne (97), Carmel's Shannon Howell (90) and Jess Trunzo (99), Libertyville's Marilyn Stone (91), and Vernon Hills' Alyssa Nugent (95) and Anya Mollenhauer (97). Lake Forest's Paige Skinner (84) and Caroline Dolan (96), and Kathleen Ready (99) of Deerfield also advanced.
"I thought my putting went pretty well and my shots were accurate," said Kil, who started on the back. "My back nine was really good (36) and my front nine (40) was up and down. It seemed like the back nine was easier."
"I respect the golf course very much," Miller said. "It's a very tough golf course if you don't hit into the fairways."