Lofty finish for Dhillon, Conant against Vernon Hills

Nireet Dhillon had a night to remember, with a career-high performance of 25 points which featured six 3s as Conant captured the Mundelein girls basketball tournament championship with a 57-39 victory over Vernon Hills on Saturday night.

And she seemed to enjoy the view from above, as Dhillon was hoisted by her teammates after the game, holding the championship plaque aloft.

Dhillon led a 28-point third quarter effort from Conant, scoring 17 of her points and dropping in four treys.

"It was really good and everyone contributed," Dhillon said. "Coach said to have confidence, and I just had confidence shooting the ball. My teammates were the ones who gave me some great looks. All I thought after I hit a shot was to go back on defense. I was taking it one shot at time. I really was shooting well in the warm-ups before the game."

The big third quarter for Conant (10-2, 4-0) brought them back from a 17-16 deficit at the start of the second half. They outscored Vernon Hills 28-13 and led 44-30 heading into the final quarter.

Conant may have benefited from being behind at the break.

"I felt we were playing a little bit on our heels," Conant coach Deirdre Naughton said. "We weren't playing aggressive - we were playing more like the reactor. When we were going after the loose balls on the defensive end, that will help us out offensively. I knew eventually the shots were going to fall for us. We're a balanced team. Nireet had a great game and everybody stepped up, too."

Katie Lomas added 8 points and Jorie Wachal chipped in with 7 for Conant.

Vernon Hills (12-4, 3-1) committed 9 of its 17 turnovers in the third quarter as Conant extended the lead.

"(Conant) had wide open shots," Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said. "They screened very well and we didn't react very well like we had in the last couple of games. We just didn't have the defense for her in this one. When you give up possessions, you give up chances to score. We gave them more opportunities than what we had. That's what kind of hurt us.

"If you can learn from a loss like this, then it's something to use."

Kasey Firnbach led Vernon Hills with 11 points. Becky Bahlmann had 10 points and 5 rebounds and Monica Bahlmann chipped in with 8 points and 6 boards.