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Satisfying destination for Lakes

Regional championship secured, Lakes' girls basketball team headed four miles back to its own high school to cut down nets and celebrate Thursday night.

Truth is, the program's journey has been significantly longer.

Never mind the 83-game losing streak that began in 2005, the year the Lake Villa high school opened. This season alone started with six straight losses for the Eagles, and included a three-game losing streak as recently as late January.

When Brian Phelan become the program's fourth head coach in Lakes' history a couple of years ago, he talked about putting "numbers on the board" above the school's bleachers.

The Eagles now have their first - 2018.

Lakes, seeded seventh in the Class 3A Woodstock North sectional, took out the No. 2 seed, using a balanced attack to defeat Vernon Hills 46-38 at Antioch for its first regional championship.

"We all really believe in each other and share the ball," Lakes guard Sara Smith, one of five junior starters, said after totaling 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. "If someone's not open, we pass the ball around for an open shot."

Lakes (16-16) did that all night to earn a berth in the sectional. The Eagles will play No. 6 Carmel (15-15) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Woodstock North.

"It's a team," Phelan said of a group that's been playing together since they were sixth-graders. "Everybody knows their role."

Kylie Jozwik added 10 points, Paule Ceneac had 8 points and 9 rebounds, and Brittany Washington scored 7 points for the Eagles, who stretched their winning streak to a season-best five games. They're 16-10 since losing their first six of the season.

"I think I would trade this for an 0-6 start," Vernon Hills coach Paul Brettner said.

Brettner's Cougars scored the game's first basket, but they never got going. A 2-of-12 shooting effort in the first quarter resulted in a 14-5 deficit.

"A little bit of the difference (early) was they hit shots and we didn't," said Brettner, whose Cougars shot 14 of 55, including 5 of 24 from beyond the arc, for the game. "But they contested shots, and we didn't. Their shots were a little more open, and they have shooters."

Kayla Caudle had game highs of 13 points and 17 rebounds for Vernon Hills (18-11), but she had only 6 shots through three quarters. She finished 6 of 11 from the floor, sinking 3 baskets after the Cougars trailed by 15 points late.

"They defended her very well," Brettner said. "When we put it into her, they put a wall next to her. They did a great job defending us and causing us to do things out of system."

The 6-foot-1 Ceneac guarded the 6-foot Caudle and had help when she needed it.

"We talked about how to defend the post, and I thought the girls bought into it," Phelan said. "(Caudle) earned her points tonight."

Julia Neary added 10 points for Vernon Hills, which trailed 42-27 midway through the fourth quarter. The Cougars put together an 11-0 run to get within 42-38 with 40 seconds left, but 2 free throws apiece by Jozwik and Smith down the stretch sealed it for Lakes.

"Their ball movement and quickness (were good)," Caudle said. "We had a lot of turnovers (18). They had pretty good defense. We just need to learn to take care of the ball a little better."

Images: Vernon Hills vs. Lakes, girls regional championship basketball

  Lakes girls basketball coach Brian Phelan cheers with his team after a successful 3 during the Class 3A regional final matchup with Vernon Hills Thursday at Antioch. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Vernon Hills center Kayla Caudle goes up for a layup during the Class 3A regional final against Lakes on Thursday at Antioch. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Lakes forward Caitlin Rodriguez battles Vernon Hills guard Julia Neary for a possession during Class 3A regional final play Thursday at Antioch. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Lakes center Paule Ceneac goes up for the shot against Vernon Hills center Kayla Caudle during the Class 3A regional final at Antioch on Thursday. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
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