Lovitsch, Grayslake North motor to another victory
Rob Nicoletti says his team's motto in his first season as Grayslake North's girls basketball coach is, "Improve and Compete Everyday."
Look no further than his leading scorer to see both improved play and compete level.
Sidney Lovitsch might be playing the best basketball of her young high school career. A second-year varsity starter, the 5-foot-9 sophomore wing showed off her athleticism again Saturday in the Knights' 55-24 win over visiting Crystal Lake Central in a Fox Valley Fox Division contest.
Lovitsch finished with 15 points, 10 steals and 5 assists - in just three quarters of work. Earlier in the week, she scored 18 points against Barrington and then poured in a career-high 26 in a win over Woodstock.
"She's been fantastic for us," Nicoletti said after his Knights improved to 4-6 and 2-2 in the FVC Fox. "I always say, 'She's the motor.' When she's doing it with our defense, it just picks everyone's energy level up. She's a great on-ball defender."
Unlike a lot of scorers, Lovitsch doesn't jack up a lot of shots. She actually took none in the opening quarter against Crystal Lake Central, even though the Knights jumped out to a 13-4 lead.
Her game is getting to the rim and using her defense to create turnovers and points in transition.
Note her steal under Grayslake North's basket and length-of-the-court drive and finish to beat the first-half buzzer. Her 11 points - all without taking a jump shot - had Grayslake North up 28-11 at halftime.
"I've had to work on my offense my whole entire life - just having the confidence to shoot, to drive, to go with my left hand, to go with my right hand," said Lovitsch, who shot 6 of 8 from the floor against the Tigers. "Defense has always been my main thing."
Lovitsch enjoyed a successful AAU summer with All in Athletics, which won nationals, she said. She came into this season a more confident and improved player.
"We really challenged her this year to step up," Nicoletti said. "She's got the respect of her teammates, as just a sophomore, and she works really hard."
A season ago, Lovitsch didn't need to be as assertive on and off the court, since the Knights boasted two of the better players in their young history in Brittney Thibeaux and Kendall Detweiler. This season, Lovitsch and Maggie Fish are the veterans.
"We had a great team (last season)," Lovitsch said. "They were all top players, and they had just won a regional (the previous season). I had to come into the starting position working hard and wanting to be as good as them. I was a little tentative. But I feel now it's my (responsibility) to step up and be a leader."
Freshman guard Brandi Thibeaux (season-high 14 points, two 3-pointers) and junior Abbey Stinner (10) also scored in double figures against Crystal Lake Central, while junior Kelley O'Brien added 8 points, including a 3. Thibeaux had injured her wrist two nights earlier against Woodstock.
"We weren't sure what we were going to get out of her," Nicoletti said. "She's a gamer."
Leading 28-13 early in the second half, Grayslake North scored the game's next 26 points. All of the Knights starters sat out the fourth quarter.
"We're trying to get better," Nicoletti said. "From the beginning of the season at the Mundelein tournament to now, I feel like we're much better. We got girls that are stepping up and making their minutes matter."