Vernon Hills stays perfect in Central Suburban North race

Vernon Hills' girls basketball team stayed unbeaten in Central Suburban North play by topping host Highland Park 50-44 on Friday.

The Cougars held the Giants to 4 points in both the first and second quarters, then weathered a far more productive second half by Highland Park.

Vernon Hills junior forward Kayla Caudle led all scorers with 18 points, on 8-for-19 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 at the free throw line, and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kylie Bunning had 8 points, and senior guard Nicole Pieper had 7. Piper Bedell contributed 5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals

Vernon Hills improved to 8-4 overall and 4-0 in the CSL North.

After finishing the first half with a 26-8 lead, the Cougars allowed the Giants to close within 4 points in the fourth quarter. Four free throws by Daniella Jarrell sealed the victory.

"After a fantastic display of defense in the first half, we let down a little bit and Highland Park's scorers took advantage," Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said. "Although we lost a big lead, we maintained our poise in the last few minutes."

Crystal Lake Central 41, Wauconda 30: At Richmond-Burton, in opening-round action of the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic, Wauconda (5-5) came up short despite 11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals and 2 blocks from Allie Tylka.

Kiley Szmajda had 7 points and 8 rebounds for Wauconda.

Lakes 48, Richmond-Burton 23: At Richmond-Burton, in opening-round action of the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic, Kylie Jozwik scored a season-high 15 points to lead the Eagles to victory.

Sara Smith added 10 points for Lakes (3-8), which jumped out to an 8-0 lead and was up 15-2 after one quarter.

"We had great energy tonight," Eagles coach Brian Phelan said. "We moved the ball well on offense. We played good defense, forcing a lot of turnovers."