Girls basketball: Lake County all-area team

Lydia Bauer, Lake Zurich

The junior surely would have reached 1,000 points in her career if she hadn't missed the Bears' last 13 games due to a shoulder injury. But her defense against a 2,000-point scorer is also noteworthy. "I will miss Lydia going up against Sarah Boothe next year," coach Chris Bennett said. "The again, maybe not. But seriously, all we asked Lydia to do was not let her catch the ball, and Lydia did as good a job as anyone guarding Sarah, even though she gave up at least five inches to her. She has outstanding footwork and is truly an extra coach out on the floor for us." A three-time all-area and all-conference selection, Bauer averaged 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. She shot 45 percent from the floor and 38 percent from beyond the arc in hiking her career point total to 919. "Lydia has some great offensive skills," Bennett said, "but to me, her best attributes are her court sense and her defensive attitude."

Sarah Boothe, Warren

From the moment she first stepped onto the basketball court, she was destined for greatness, John Stanczykiewicz said. The only question, Warren's coach added, was, how great? Talk about a great senior season. Boothe averaged 20.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game for a Blue Devils that won 28 games despite the fact she was their lone returning starter. The captain of the Daily Herald Lake County All-Area team for the third straight year, this was her best season yet. The Stanford-bound center was the only unanimous selection to the Associate Press Class 4A all-state team and was named the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette all-state player of the year. "I think all the awards are well-deserved," Stanczykiewicz said. "I think they're a reflection of what Sarah has accomplished over four years." Boothe poured in a career-high 34 points in Warren's second game, grabbing 16 rebounds in the process. She finished the season with 20 double-doubles and ended her career with 2,038 points and 1,079 rebounds. "For us to be successful, she had to average 20 points a game, she had to get double

Amy Burton, Vernon Hills

Double-digit points. Double-digit wins. The latter was more significant for the senior center. "The success of her team was far more important than her success as an individual," coach Paul Brettner said. Burton experienced both, as she led Vernon Hills in scoring at 11.3 points per game, while also averaging 6.5 rebounds in helping the Cougars post 11 wins. A two-year starter, she was named all-tournament at Mundelein over Thanksgiving and also earned all-conference honors. She had a pair of 20-point performances. "By the end of her junior year she was our most consistent scorer," Brettner said. "This year she became tough on the boards as well as a confident leader." Burton will continue her basketball career at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Ali Haws, Libertyville

The captain of the Daily Herald's Lake County All-Area volleyball team in helping the Wildcats earn a berth downstate, she showed again that if she's given the ball around the net, she'll do good things. The athletic, 5-foot-10 senior averaged 10.2 points, with a high of 25, and 5.2 rebounds per game. "Ali is one of the most athletic players in the area," coach Kathie Swanson said. "She used her tremendous athleticism to get the most out of her ability. She did a good job of stepping up this year and looking to attack the basket. We often relied on her to shoulder the offensive load and she responded well." Haws, who also averaged 2.5 steals per game, was Libertyville's lone all-tournament selection at Mundelein over Christmas and also the team's only all-conference choice. "Ali came a long way over the past year and will be difficult to replace next season," Swanson said. "Her fun, hard-working personality both on and off the basketball court will be greatly missed."

Tiffany Hendrickson, Carmel Catholic

The Corsairs focus on preventing the other team from scoring so much that they're not shy about holding the ball for long sequences if needed. They can do that because they know Hendrickson normally can take care of the offensive part. The junior forward averaged 15 points and 5 assists per game in helping the Corsairs to 14 wins. "She's a scorer," coach John Ryan said. "We pride ourselves on defense. We try to hold the other team to under 40 points and we were pretty successful doing that this year. But we needed enough points to win close games, and Tiffany provided the scoring. She allowed us to be competitive against the best teams." An all-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection and three-year varsity player, Hendrickson also averaged 7 rebounds per game, and she stands just 5 feet 7. "She's not exceptionally tall or quick, but she has what I call a nose for the ball," Ryan said. "She would just go for the ball and beat other people to it because she would read where the ball was going."

Lauren Mead, Wauconda

She's been a cut above since her freshman year, but it was an actual cut that helped show just how far the junior has come since in three varsity seasons. Mead had to leave the Bulldogs' regional final against North Chicago when she drove her tooth through her lip, an injury that required six stitches following the game. After getting patched up, she returned in the fourth quarter and promptly hit a 3-pointer and then a two-point shot to help put the game away, giving Wauconda its first regional title in 15 years. "You talk about her evolving (as a player)," coach Tim Bartusch said. "I don't know if she would have done that the last two years. That showed some heart and guts on her part." A three-year all-area selection, who was all-area in volleyball, Mead averaged 15 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and made significant strides defensively, Bartusch said. She scored a career-high 29 points against Zion-Benton, helping her earn all-conference honors for the second year in a row. She also advanced downstate in the three-point shooting contest, finishing fifth out of 32 shooters. She's scored 1,152 points in her career. "She had a really, really good year," Bartusch said. "She's such a good athlete. She became more consistent (this season). Her shooting became more consistent."

Labrenthia Murdock, Round Lake

When she penetrates into the lane, stops, hops and pops -- which is her trademark move -- she's tough to stop. And her team this season was, at times, unstoppable. With their junior guard leading the way both offensively and defensively again this winter, the Panthers won 24 games to tie the school record. "(She's) a pleasure to coach," said coach Gary Edge, adding that his three-year starter has worked hard to develop her talent. A repeat all-area and all-conference performer, Murdock averaged 13.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 2.6 assists per game. She twice poured in 23 points in a game. Said Edge: "I am interested to see how much more (she) can develop."

Kelsey O'Connor, Mundelein

"Kelso" was oh-so-good when she shot the basketball, but her "D" was equally as good as her "O." "Her toughness on defense was sometimes overlooked by physical stature," coach Brian Evans said of his 5-8 guard, who recorded 57 steals. "But make no mistake about it, she'll go nose to nose with anyone." O'Connor led the 23-win Mustangs in scoring at 10.4 points per game, while also hitting a team-best 40 3-pointers. She scored 37 points against Zion-Benton, was named all-tournament over both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and secured all-conference honors. Not a bad first season on varsity. "Kelsey gave us the much-needed outside shooting that we sorely missed last season," Evans said. "She also was a very good ball-handler and gave Sam Panitch help in the back court on the occasions when Sam needed a break or was in foul trouble."

Samantha Panitch, Mundelein

She was listed at 5 feet 7 each of her three seasons on varsity. Never mind that. The point guard clearly experienced a growth spurt. "Sam grew into a great leader for us this year," coach Brian Evans said. "Some people say leaders are born and can't be made, but Sam proves those people wrong. She has come a long way from the quiet, in-the-shadows guard from two years ago as a sophomore on varsity to the leader of a regional-championship team this year." Panitch averaged 9.5 points, 4 assists and 1.5 steals per game in earning all-conference honors for the second year in a row. She also sank 36 3-pointers and was named all-tournament over Thanksgiving and Christmas. "She led our team in so many ways, not only statistically but emotionally as well," Evans said. "As arguably the best point guard in the conference, she was truly a coach on the floor for us and will undoubtedly be missed next year."

Peggie Parhas, Lake Zurich

What a pass. In setting the Bears' single-season assist record, the senior point guard passed the great Alicia Ratay. Parhas dished out 146 assists, 11 more than Ratay, who went on to win a national championship at Notre Dame. Parhas averaged 10 points and 4.6 assists per game, and shot 73 percent from the foul line in earning all-conference honors. Her 319 career assists rank second all-time in team history. She also finished fifth all-time with 797 points in her three varsity seasons. "Peggie is the last of a dying breed of athlete," coach Chris Bennett said. "(She's) the young player who grew up in her back yard playing basketball with whoever would come over and play, usually her older brother, Jim. She has street moves, and throws some great playground passes. At least a couple of times a game there were the passes that gave the coach a heart attack, but somehow they got through for the bucket."

Amber Phillips, Round Lake

In posting win after win, the Panthers relied heavily on … this post. Phillips, a starter since her freshman year, averaged 10.3 points, a team-best 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in her junior season. She was named all-conference in helping Round Lake post 24 victories. She, like her teammate Labrenthia Murdock, is a pleasure to coach, coach Gary Edge said, and made it her goal to become a better basketball player. Phillips' 26 points against North Chicago were the most by a Panther in any game this season. Said Edge: "(She's) worked very hard to develop (her) talent."

Heather Ruetsche, Grant

Few teams have produced more physical and athletic players, especially at the guard position. No one needs to tell that to the senior. "Here's a girl who had been with us two years with limited minutes," coach Tom Oeffling said, "just running the practice squad and getting beat up by people like Kariann Hill and Kaela Munster and Sonja Cellucci. She took it and took it." And because Ruetsche did, Grant was as tough as ever. The first-year point guard averaged 8.7 points, 3 assists 2.7 steals and 2.5 rebounds per game in leading the Bulldogs to 25 wins and the North Suburban Prairie Division championship. She had a 1-to-1, assist-to-turnover ratio and played excellent defense, as well. The three-year varsity player was named all-conference. "If we don't have Heather Ruetsche, we don't have 25 wins. It's that simple," Oeffling said. " We thought we might struggle at that spot this year. After the first game, (assistant coach) Ron (Duros) and I looked at each other and we were like, 'We're going to be all right.' She just put to rest a lot of concerns we had. She was our floor leader and the girls felt really confident about what they were going to do when she was out there."

Lory Shaw, Warren

The 6-foot-2 athlete has modeled before. This winter she was a model of consistency for the Blue Devils, particularly at the defensive end. A three-year varsity player, the senior forward started the season terrifically, helping her earn a Division-I scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game. "Lory is a kid that finally decided to be good at basketball and commit herself," coach John Stanczykiewicz said. Shaw provided a nice complement to Sarah Boothe at both ends of the floor and shined particularly on defense. She regularly defended the opposing team's top post player. "Lory got that tough assignment every game and did a tremendous job with that assignment," Stanczykiewicz said. "What makes her good defensively is, first, she's a real good athlete. She's got really good feet and has real good lateral quickness. And then, secondly, she's long -- she's 6-2." A first-year starter, she was selected all-tournament at Christmas and was named all-conference at season's end.

Shana Shepherd, Warren

Sweet-shooting senior Shana Shepherd sure shined. "I always thought Amy Wessel was a good shooter, but I think Shana took it to a whole other level," said coach John Stanczykiewicz, comparing Shepherd to former Blue Devil Wessel. "Her range was amazing. She quite often shot two or three steps behind the arc." With Warren featuring a pair of Division-I recruits in the post in Sarah Boothe and Lory Shaw, Shepherd provided the perimeter shooter the Blue Devils needed. She averaged 8.1 points per game, pouring in a career-high 22 points against Lake Forest. "She always had that moment where could get that shot off," Stanczykiewicz said. Shepherd was more than just a good shooter, too, Stanczykiewicz said. At 5 feet 10, the all-conference guard was able to use her height to rebound and she also played some point guard. "She has really good ball skills," Stanczykiewicz said. "She's a good all-around player."

Jamie Swanson, Grant

Swanson's swan song? Sweet. Just as she did in volleyball, the senior saved her best of three varsity seasons for last. She averaged 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game in helping Grant capture 25 wins for the second year in a row. She's a three-time all-area and all-conference choice who finished her career with 1,099 points, second most in Grant history. "I think it's without argument she's one of the best players in the county, and I think she's one of the best in the state," coach Tom Oeffling said. "She just would step up for us in big games." Case in point: the Bulldogs' stretch run. Swanson scored 21 points in the conference championship and then 22 in each of Grant's two state tournament contests. She poured in a career-high 27 points against Conant in helping the Bulldogs reach the title game of the Mundelein Christmas tournament. She then scored 22 the next night in leading Grant to victory. She was also an all-area selection in volleyball.