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Glenbrook South tops Grant to stay perfect at Mundelein

Glenbrook South 60, Grant 37: Senior forward Liz LaPierre scored a game-high 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting and grabbed 6 rebounds, and Glenbrook South's girls basketball team beat Grant 60-37 Friday night to improve to 4-0 in Mundelein's Thanksgiving tournament.

Senior guard Lizzy Shaw added 13 points, hitting three 3-pointers in four attempts. Junior guard Makayla Stadler had 9 points for the Titans, who closed the opening quarter with an 8-0 run to stretch their lead to 20-6. They led 37-12 at halftime.

"They're disciplined," Grant first-year coach Kevin Geist said. "On offense, they know spacing. They're well-coached."

Geist is a Maine South graduate and is familiar with Glenbrook South coach Steve Weissenstein, who's a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association hall of fame. Weissenstein has also coached the boys team at the Glenview school.

"That's the conference (Central Suburban League) that I grew up in," Geist said. "He's really well-respected. They're deep. They play really disciplined defense. That's where we want to get to. They're a model of consistency. They shoot well, they take good shots, they move the ball, and they share it. In the huddle, they all listen."

Grant, which fell to 2-2 in the tournament after going winless it it last year, was led by Mallory Harrity's 8 points and 7 rebounds. Ally Mahinay added 7 points for the Bulldogs, who trailed by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter.

Grant wraps up the tournament with a noon start Saturday against Carmel.

"We're heading in the right direction," Geist said. "It's just going to take some time."

Glenbrook South looks to complete an undefeated run in the tournament when it plays Mundelein at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Carmel 47, Highland Park 30: At Mundelein, the Corsairs won their third game in a row to improve to 3-1 in the tournament, while dropping the Giants to 2-2.

Carmel wraps up the tourney with a noon game Saturday against Grant. Highland Park plays Grayslake North at 1:30 p.m.

Mundelein 47, Grayslake North 43: At Mundelein, the host Mustangs got their first win of the tournament and first under first-year coach Greg Dorgan.

Grayslake North fell to 0-4 in the tourney.

Rolling Meadows 74, Lake Zurich 51: At Lake Zurich, the Bears fell to 0-2 in their own Turkey Thriller tournament.

Melissa Spiwak scored a career-high 20 points for Rolling Meadows (1-1). Alexa Davis added a career-high 18 points for the Mustangs.

Kaneland 74, Wauconda 43: At Wauconda, the host Bulldogs trailed 38-23 at halftime on their own court, then got outscored 28-3 in the third quarter.

Allie Tylka had 14 points to lead Wauconda (1-1, 1-1 tournament). Freshman Kiley Szmajda added 9 points in the loss. Tylka and Szmajda each sank a 3-pointer.

Libertyville 53, Buffalo Grove 41: On Thursday night, sophomore guard Lydia Crow sank six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 20 points, as the Wildcats opened their season with a win in Buffalo Grove's Bison Classic.

Libertyville and Buffalo Grove each scored just 4 points in the final quarter.

It was the first three quarters that made the game interesting. Crow didn't score in the even quarters (second and fourth). She instead made her stand in the odd quarters - as in three 3-pointers in the first and three more in the third quarter.

Libertyville led start to finish in the nightcap of the tournament.

"My teammates did a great job of finding me open," Crow said.

It's clear from the rosters that these teams are on the young side, as each has just one senior. Libertyville senior Morgan Manski opened the three-point shooting for her team.

"I play the one or the two," said Manski, who's a returning starter along with Crow for the Wildcats. "I like getting the ball to people who are open."

Manski watched as Crow took thegame over with her long-range shooting.

"Lydia is a great shooter and a great teammate," Manski said.

Also joining in the fun from long distance was Buffalo Grove junior Alyssa Floro. She had two of her three 3s in the game's first two minutes. However, when the first quarter closed, the score was tied at 11-11. The Cats had opened up a 21-11 first-quarter lead.

"Most of our team graduated," said Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen, whose team plays Harlem at 1 p.m. Saturday at Buffalo Grove. "But this group is quicker and more athletic. This group can also score. We just need to mature and get more experience."

Buffalo Grove guard Jackie Bickhaus (10 points) began to drive to the hoop in the second quarter as the Bison tried to fight back.

"We play hard," Buffalo Grove coach Steve Kolodziej said. "This is a great group of kids. We have just the one senior but we will get some experience this year. This was a good opening-day test for us."

The odd-numbered third quarter opened and Ms. Crow began firing up three-pointers again. Her final one upped Libertyville's lead to 49-37.

"My mom and brother played high school basketball," Crow said. "I think it was the sixth grade when I started to hit my shots."

Manski landed a 3-pointer in the highflying third quarter.

"We have a lot of younger players this year," Manski said. "We have a good diversity of players. It's a good opportunity."

Libertyville freshman Lauren Huber scored early in the final quarter. Teammate Emma Manolovic (5 points) tallied for the Wildcats more than six minutes later.

Floro delivered a 3-pointer in the final quarter. Buffalo Grove sophomore Kendra Lee had 6 points and 7 rebounds.

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