Lach lifts Carmel; first-round wins for Warren, Grayslake Central

Katie Lach's smile sparkled.

In her first game since a dental checkup just before Christmas, the Carmel Catholic sophomore guard scored a season-high 19 points, as the Corsairs opened the Blue Devil Classic by beating Larkin 65-39 in the first of four games Tuesday at Warren's Almond Road campus.

Lach shot 6 of 11 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, and also grabbed 6 rebounds. She didn't start for the first time this season because her dentist appointment caused her to miss half a practice. The same thing happened to her last season as a freshman on varsity.

"Just a cleaning," a smiling Lach said. "Always a cleaning."

Carmel never trailed in improving to 8-6, while dropping Larkin to 2-10. A locked-in Lach scored 11 of her team's 14 points in the second quarter, going 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.

"I think she came in and felt more relaxed today," Corsairs coach Ben Berg said. "She shot the ball better, and she's a good shooter."

Lach was one of Carmel's best players on a 19-win squad last winter and had a 27-point effort against Benet. She doesn't think she's played as well as she did last season, when she was the lone player from her team to earn All-East Suburban Catholic Conference honors. She's hoping her performance against Larkin is a turning point in her season.

"Some of it could be she's putting pressure on herself," Berg said. "When you get a lot of accolades as a freshman, there are expectations to take the next step. She's got the ability. She just has to iron some things out."

Carmel scored the game's the first 11 points and led 19-3 late in the opening quarter. Larkin got within 21-13 on Amber Allen's steal and breakaway layup, but Lach answered with her first 3-pointer. She drained two more 3s in the final minute, helping Carmel take a 33-15 lead into halftime.

"I haven't come out very strong this season," Lach said. "Today was better. I think I came out with a little more confidence. Our team passed the ball around pretty well. We had some good transition passes.

"I felt like coming off the bench I needed to have more energy to prove I belong on the court."

Junior forward Brigit Barr (11 points) and sophomore guard Olivia Vinci (10), who got a start, also scored in double figures for the Corsairs. Ranya Jamison came off the bench to add 8 points and 7 steals.

"We did some good things," Berg said. "There are some things we still need to get better at and get more consistent at, but overall after having two days off, the day after Christmas, I was pleased."

Larkin was led by sophomore Brianna Young's 14 points and 8 rebounds.

Carmel plays Deerfield at noon in Wednesday's first game. Larkin takes on Warren at 1:30 p.m.

Warren 47, Deerfield 29: Kaylen Dickson had 18 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists, and the hosts used a big second half to win their opening game in the Blue Devil Classic.

Jordyn Hughes added 15 points and 6 rebounds for Warren (9-4), which led only 15-14 at halftime. The Blue Devils outscored the Warriors 16-9 in the third quarter and 16-6 in the fourth. Dickson and Hughes each sank a pair of 3-pointers.

Rachel Elkes led Deerfield (2-9) with 11 points.

Deerfield faces Carmel at noon Wednesday, followed by Warren against Larkin at 1:30 p.m.

Grayslake Central 41, Phillips 37: When his team trailed by 11 points in the first half, Rams coach Steve Ikenn stressed to his players to keep attacking the rim and their shots would eventually fall.

Their shots did.

Kate Bullman finished an end-to-end drive with layup with 39 seconds left to snap a 37-37 tie, and Rosie Drevline's 2 free throws in the closing seconds sealed the Rams' opening-round win in the Blue Devil Classic.

Drevline led Grayslake Central (8-5) with 14 points, while Bullman had 11 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals.

"We showed a lot of heart and determination," said Ikenn, whose Rams trailed 23-16 at halftime. "I thought we got out of our game plan early. We missed some shots and showed a little bit of rust, but we stayed with everything and regrouped in the second quarter. I thought we did a really good job in the second half at both ends of the floor, working to get the things we were looking for."

Grayslake Central played its third game in a row without 6-foot forward Ania Barnes, who tweaked her back. Ikenn said it's doubtful Barnes will play in the tournament, which concludes Saturday.

Grayslake Central plays Highland Park at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, while Phillips takes on Lake Forest at 3 p.m.

Lake Forest 64, Highland Park 32: The Scouts cruised in the last game of the day at Warren, improving to 8-6.

Highland Park fell to 6-8.

Lake Forest faces Phillips at 3 p.m. Wednesday, followed by Highland Park against Grayslake Central at 4:30 p.m.