Bahlmann connection helps Vernon Hills top Rolling Meadows
There were all kinds of girl-friendly goodies to unwrap at the Bahlmann house on Christmas Day.
"We got a lot of clothes and jewelry," middle sister Monica said on behalf of older sister Brie and younger sister Becky.
The three Bahlmann sisters themselves have been gifts that keep giving to the Vernon Hills girls basketball team.
Brie, now a sophomore in college, helped the Cougars advance downstate in back-to-back seasons, 2011-12 and 2012-13. Monica, now a senior, was a sophomore on the second downstate team.
On Friday at the Mundelein holiday tournament, Monica and Becky, a sophomore, helped put a big red bow on a 50-28 victory over a Rolling Meadows team that might be young and rebuilding, but is also still reputable after coming off of back-to-back trips downstate of its own.
Both Monica and Becky scored 11 points as Vernon Hills upped its record to 12-3 and avenged a decisive nonconference loss to Rolling Meadows (10-4) that occurred almost two weeks ago to the day.
"The sisters are all so great, but unfortunately (the parents) stopped reproducing, so it ends for us with the Bahlmanns after Becky," Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said with a laugh. "The family is great. And the girls have shot so much in the driveway together that they have a special connection that helps them on the court."
Monica and Becky scored all but 3 of Vernon Hills' 12 fourth-quarter points that helped to salt away the victory.
On one possession, Becky found Monica in the post and fired in a perfect pass that led Monica straight to the basket for a bucket.
"I look for (Monica), said Becky, who hit a game-high 3 three-pointers and is eager to follow in her sisters' footsteps and earn a trip downstate. "I definitely think there is some kind of connection. There's a click that goes on when we're in together. We always seem to find each other. It's fun."
The Cougars had fun right from the start against Rolling Meadows, storming out to a 14-5 lead in the first quarter. In the second quarter, they were up by as many as 10 points and then took full control of the game in the third quarter by outscoring Rolling Meadows 11-1.
"This game shows a lot for us," Monica said. "It shows that we're out to win. We want to go to state again."
In the two weeks since their loss to Rolling Meadows, the Cougars learned how to better attack Rolling Meadows' 2-3 zone and how to better take care of the ball. In that first game, Rolling Meadows forced 25 Vernon Hills turnovers. In the rematch, the Cougars had just 11 turnovers.
Meanwhile, Rolling Meadows had 17 turnovers and shot just 25 percent from the field, including an 0-for-7 clip in the third quarter.
"They were better than us in every facet of the game," Rolling Meadows coach Ryan Kirkorsky said of Vernon Hills. "They looked better than they did a couple of weeks ago, and they came out more ready than us and they took it to us from start to finish."
Hannah Mickey had a team-high 8 points for Rolling Meadows while teammates Kyra Spiwak and Morgan Campagna added 7 and 6 points respectively.