Carmel’s intensity too much for Lakes
Lakes High School’s girls basketball coach, Pete Schneider, knows all about those Carmel girls basketball players.
That’s because he was a feeder coach for years and watched those players get better over time.
On Monday night in Mundelein, those same players once coached came back to haunt him a little, especially in a first quarter that saw the once-beaten Corsairs race to a 19-0 lead. It was also a bad time for his winless Eagles to run into Carmel giving its first deployment of its half-court trap.
Carmel (8-1) led 38-10 at halftime and coasted to a 58-29 win over the young Eagles.
That first quarter set the tone. While the Eagles turned the ball over on each possession in the first five minutes, Carmel produced a virtual passing clinic and did very little wrong.
“I think we can play at a pretty high intensity,’’ said Carmel center Emma Rappe. “We started out strongly at the beginning.”
It was clearly an equal opportunity offense for Carmel in that flawless first quarter. The ball was shared so well on each possession as Carmel opened up a quick double-digit lead. Rappe, who led all scorers with 17 points, scored 6 of her points in the first-quarter blitz. She was joined by Kathleen Felicelli (8 of her 10 points), Cassidy Kloss (5 of her 9 points) and Leah Lach (6 of her 11 points).
“We came out with a lot of energy,’’ said Carmel coach Kelly Perz. “We passed the ball well and saw each other. We picked apart their defense.”
For the 0-8 Eagles, it wasn’t the kind of start they wanted.
“We have a lot to learn,’’ Schneider said. “We are young but we have to grow up sometime. And we have to get some confidence.”
If there was a bright spot for the Eagles it came from sophomore Ellie Haviland. Her first hoop of the game followed a steal and pushed her team into double figures late in the second quarter. Haviland landed her team’s lone 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and she led the Eagles with 9 points.
“She’s a great kid,’’ Schneider said. “And she’s only a sophomore.”
The big lead gave Perz a chance to give her bench plenty of minutes. In the second half, the Carmel players seeing playing time went by the names of Emily Casale, Karoline Yacono and Alexa Svoboda.
“Our back-ups played a lot of minutes,’’ Perz said.
If Carmel has one weakness, it’s in the height department. Rappe and Casale are the team’s lone big girls as they both are listed at 6 feet. Rappe is also the lone junior starter on this team.
“The seniors have taught me to be stronger,’’ Rappe said. “And to show my full potential.”