Vernon Hills shoots past Libertyville, into tourney finale
Basketball teams prefer their shots, not their players, to fall.
Which made it difficult for Libertyville's girls to rise to the challenge Thursday morning with a championship-game berth in their own winter tournament at stake against Vernon Hills.
Kayla Caudle, who rises to the rim with the best, grabbed 21 rebounds and scored 12 points, and Vernon Hills beat Libertyville 49-38. The Cougars' eighth win in their last nine games hiked their record to 11-4 and 3-0 in the tourney. They will play Rolling Meadows at 2:30 p.m. Friday for the title, after earning a share of the crown in the inaugural tournament last winter.
"It's pretty exciting," said Caudle, who's had a double-double in each of the eight games she's played in this season. "Last year we were in the same situation, so it's good to get back (to the championship game)."
Libertyville (7-8, 2-1) fired 73 shots, connecting on only 15, but more disappointing for the Wildcats was seeing two starters go down. Senior point guard Morgan Manski suffered injured her right ankle midway through the second quarter. Junior forward Maddie Spaulding got hit in the mouth early in the second half, leaving blood on the court.
Neither Manski nor Spaulding returned to the game.
Libertyville sophomore forward Abigail Frea took advantage of her extended minutes coming off the bench, grabbing a team-high 9 rebounds and scoring 4 points. Junior forward Maggie Evers contributed 3 points and 4 rebounds. Lisa Lamb's 3 points came during the Wildcats' 5-0 run that got them within seven points of the lead with less than four minutes left in the game.
"The kids on our bench bring us a lot of energy," said coach Greg Pedersen, whose Wildcats play Niles West in the third-place game at 1 p.m. Friday. "It's good for them to get their opportunities. We don't want anyone to get injured, but we keep talking about how we got to be ready. We were happy with their production today."
Pedersen was also satisfied with how his young players defended Caudle and freshman guard Daniella Jarrell. The two players combined for 49 points in Vernon Hills' tourney-opening win over Indianapolis on Tuesday. Caudle, who was often doubled by Libertyville in the post, got off only 10 shots, sinking half. Jarrell sank just 1 shot from the floor and finished with 6 points to go with 8 rebounds.
Vernon Hills missed its first 13 shots from three-point range, but its first made attempt was big. After Lydia Crow (team-high 12 points, 7 rebounds) put back her own miss to get Libertyville within 40-33 with 3:29 left, Nicole Pieper (7 points) hit a 3 from the top of the key off an inbounds play.
"We wanted them to shoot that because if they kill the clock and they go to the free-throw line, we know what's going to happen," Pedersen said. "When they took that shot, I was feeling satisfied."
Pieper got a clean look and hit nothing but net for the Cougars' only 3-pointer of the game.
"Ours weren't really open," Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said of his team's struggles from beyond the arc. "Libertyville contested a lot of them. Credit Libertyville. They're always a good defensive team. They put pressure on you."
Vernon Hills shot only 15 of 51 from the floor but 18 of 20 from the free-throw line. The Cougars sank 6 of 6 free throws in the final 1:38. Piper Bedell (11 points, 7 rebounds) went 4 of 4, and Pieper sank both of hers.
"Our clutch free throws at the end really helped us maintain that separation," Caudle said.
A University of Toledo coach was scouting Caudle, who also had 5 steals. Brettner likes his 6-foot junior's efficiency around the basket.
"Even when teams game-plan against her," he said, "she finds a way to get some points."