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Loyd's 40 helps Niles W. tops Lake Zurich

Trying to stop Niles West's Jewell Loyd wasn't an easy task for Lake Zurich's girls basketball team on Tuesday evening.

Loyd, a junior, dropped in her second best scoring output of the season. She finished with 40 points and also pulled down 13 rebounds, blocked 7 shots and had 6 assists.

All of which added up to a 62-41 victory over the Bears at the Suburban Holiday Showcase in Skokie.

“It was an enjoyment, watching Jewell Loyd play basketball,” Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett said. “I just wish I wasn't on the bench with the opposing team. It would've been better to be in the stands.

“Loyd has a two-dribble pull up jump shot that's unguardable and watching her explode on rebounds was impressive. She has all the skills.”

The Bears fell to 7-8 overall and 2-2 in the tournament. Niles West broke a 3-game losing streak and raised its records to 11-6 and 1-3. Loyd hit her season-high of 45 points against Hersey early this season.

The Bears were still within reach of the Wolves early in the second quarter and trailed 17-14 after Katherine Anderson (8 points) made a layup with 6:48 left.

Then Loyd scored 9 points, including a 3-pointer that capped off a 12-2 Niles Wes spurt. The Wolves took a 29-16 lead at the two-minute mark.

The Bears got caught turning the ball over 5 times during the run and had a total of 18 turnovers in the game.

Lake Zurich did recover with 5 unanswered points on Kelsey Dreiling's layup and Karlissa Skarb's 3-point play, which left the Bears down 29-21 at the half.

The Bears couldn't get much closer in the third quarter. Lloyd scored 11 points and the Wolves outscored the Bears 18-9 for a 47-30 margin going into the final quarter.

Catherine Spear led Lake Zurich with 14 points, and Stephanie Schmid added 9.