Conant surges past Libertyville

On paper, this looked like a good one.

Twice-beaten in 9 games came the Conant Cougars. With 10 wins already were the Libertyville Wildcats.

But late in the second quarter, the scoreboard at the Mundelein High School Holiday Classic read: Conant 23, Libertyville 4.

How could that be?

And just as the game looked to be over but for the shouting, the Wildcats went on a 15-0 run. And just like that it was clearly anyone's game.

Both clubs had runaway victories on Monday night, but now only Conant stands unbeaten in the tournament. The Cougars (8-2) absorbed Libertyville's comeback blow on Tuesday night and posted a decisive 45-31 win.

"We've played some really good competition,'' said first-year Conant coach Deirdre Naughton. "We got up 23-4 and they went out of their zone. Libertyville fought back and that was impressive. But it's nice to have our senior leadership."

Naughton can teach her kids a few things about girls basketball. She was a major player at New Trier in the 1990s and went on to star at DePaul.

"We went to a DePaul game and saw all of her stuff,'' noted Conant point guard Nireet Dhillon.

Still, a 23-4 start against a quality team like Libertyville?

"Most of the games, we come out strong,'' Dhillon said. "We practice strong. We have a really balanced team. We all contribute."

Equally hard to explain is how Conant surged to that improbable lead and let almost all of it get away as the Wildcats (10-4) pulled within 4 points.

Veteran Cats senior center Becky Deichl scored 5 of her team's 9 third-quarter points as the Cougars' lead sank to 23-19.

"We knew Conant was really good,'' said Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen. "They have good guards and good posts. They are one of the better teams we'll see."

Libertyville came into this contest swimming along with a six-game winning streak.

Conant finally stopped the Cats' momentum as Dhillon hit her lone 3-pointer of the night. Katie Lomas (7 points) showed off a gorgeous move inside, and Conant had weathered the storm to lead 31-22 at the end of the third quarter.

"We came back a little,'' Pedersen said. "But they are so strong handling the ball."

The final quarter was a free throw shooting contest and the Cougars didn't fail at this mission. Conant hit its first 8 free throws of the fourth quarter as the team's lead again hit double figures.

The Cougars and their seven seniors seem destined for a solid season. Dhillon, a junior, clearly believes in this club.

"We've known these girls for a long time,'' Dhillon said. "We have really good chemistry."

Conant senior guard Lexi Zades hit three 3-pointers early and led a balanced attack with 13 points. Senior forward Alissa Wachal added 9 points.