Stanfel's perseverance pays off for Grayslake North

Tough results on the court and ACL surgeries can squelch an athlete's desire to compete.

But there was Margaret Stanfel, energized. Grayslake North's oft-injured senior guard raised her arms in the air after swishing a clutch 3-pointer from the left corner and then hustled to the defensive end during the fourth quarter of the Knights' 36-28 nonconference win over visiting Warren on Saturday night.

She is, after all, a Stanfel.

The granddaughter of Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Dick Stanfel, who passed away in June of 2015 at age 87, Stanfel is playing her third season of varsity basketball for the Knights. And thanks to their win over Warren, for the first time this season, she and her teammates have a winning streak.

Grayslake North (2-8) picked up its first victory the previous night against Antioch.

"I'm really, really proud of our girls," Knights coach Rob Nicoletti said. "Starting the season the way we did was not something that we envisioned, but the message has always been, 'No one is going to feel sorry for you. You just have to work your way out of the rut.' They've been working really hard in practice, and I'm happy for them that they're getting the rewards for that hard work now."

Stanfel's stick-to-itiveness is paying off too. Going into her freshman year, she tore her left ACL and meniscus. Then during Grayslake North's regional-semifinal loss to Libertyville her sophomore year, she tore her right ACL. This year, during an open gym just before the start of the season, she injured her right knee again.

"Nothing too serious, but it caused me about a month out," said Stanfel, who missed Grayslake North's season-opening Thanksgiving tournament at Mundelein, where the Knights went 0-5. "It was just a lot of pain."

Grayslake North led Warren (3-8) 31-20 at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Blue Devils got within 31-25 on Jataia Harris' reverse layup with 4:48 left. After a timeout, Stanfel (6 points) sank her second 3-pointer of the night, and the visitors never got any closer than seven the rest of the way.

"I just love being out there," said Stanfel, who wears a bulky brace on her right knee. "I guess it's just for the love of the game and the people around you. It's a really good atmosphere to be around."

Grayslake North is better for having Stanfel around.

"It's leadership," Nicoletti said. "She's the most vocal leader on our team, and she sets the tone at practice ... She cares about the program. She's been an important part of it for years now, and she is respected and looked up to by the younger players in our program. She's a great role model."

Savannah Guenther's 17 points, 7 steals and 6 rebounds led Grayslake North, which finally had a weekend filled with smiles.

"It's really just the confidence," Stanfel said. "After the (Mundelein) tournament, we were down. We never played with the full potential and confidence that we have on the team. I think we've put that confidence into our game, and that's helping us right now."

Warren received 8 points apiece from Harris and Breleigh Gula. Dana Lundtveit had 4 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals for the Blue Devils, who were shut out 11-0 in the third quarter after the game was tied 20-20 at halftime.