Szmajda's near-triple-double leads Wauconda
Kiley Szmajda had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 9 blocks, Morgan Lung added 15 points and 11 boards, and Wauconda's girls basketball team defeated No. 13 Harvard 69-31 in the Class 3A Deerfield regional semifinals on Tuesday night.
Ella Karg had 14 points and 5 assists for No. 4 Wauconda (20-6), which will play No. 5 Deerfield in Thursday's 7 p.m. regional final.
"We started a little slow tonight, but Morgan really provided the offensive spark in the second quarter, scoring 10 of her 15," Bulldogs coach Jaime Dennis said. "Once we started passing better and sharing the ball, we got into a nice rhythm. We played a solid defensive game and had some very impactful performances tonight. I am proud of the effort and happy with the outcome. We will enjoy it tonight and then get back to work tomorrow to get ready for the next one."
Deerfield 42, Grayslake North 26: At Deerfield, the No. 5 seed and host Warriors won the Class 3A regional semifinal.\
Peyton Gerdes had 7 points to lead No. 12 Grayslake North, which finished 10-22.
"We missed some easy shots early and that hurt us, and Deerfield got hot in the second half," Knights coach Roger Lass said. "I'm so proud of how our girls played hard and stayed together and fought until the end. Our seniors were great leaders, and our future is bright with six returners that played a lot this season."
Fremd 76, Warren 36: At Fremd, the third-seeded Vikings ended the Blue Devils' season in the Class 4A regional semifinal.
No. 14 Warren finished 9-22. Macy Kocen had 19 points for the Blue Devils.
Libertyville 55, Wheeling 31: At Lake Zurich, Margaret Buchert scored 15 points, Emily Fisher added 14, and the second-seeded Wildcats cruised in their Class 4A regional opener.
Libertyville (26-4), which hiked its winning streak to 22 games, advanced to Thursday's 7 p.m. regional final against No. 7 Lake Zurich.
Lake Zurich 47, Rolling Meadows 44: At Lake Zurich, Alayna Soukup scored 15 points, and the seventh-seeded Bears won the Class 4A regional semifinal on their home court.
Baylie Parks added 9 points for Lake Zurich (16-13), which will play No. 2 Libertyville in Thursday's 7 p.m. regional final. Margueret Spear had 7 points for the Bears, who also got 6 points apiece from Amelia Young and Brooke Wahlund.
Grayslake Central 47, Lakes 13: At Prairie Ridge, Kate Bulman scored 19 points, and the top-seeded Rams picked up their 19th win in a row and third the season over the Eagles.
Grayslake Central (27-3) advanced to Thursday's 7 p.m. Class 3A regional final against No. 8 Crystal Lake South. Lauryn Cartee added 9 points for the Rams, and Amanda Kocialkowski and MK Drevline each had 8.
Rosie Tekampe scored 6 points for No. 17 Lakes, which finished 6-23.