Wauconda's fourth-quarter rally stuns Carmel
Ella Karg had 15 points and 11 assists, and Wauconda's girls basketball team rallied in the fourth quarter to stun host Carmel Catholic 53-44 in a nonconference game on Saturday night.
Wauconda (15-5) also got double-doubles from Mackenzie Arden (11 points, 10 rebounds), Kiley Szmajda (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Jessie Pakaski (10 points, 11 rebounds). Morgan Lung added 7 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Jordan Wood led Carmel (17-6) with 13 points. Kaytlyn Matz and Emma Berg added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Corsairs, who led 13-7 after one quarter, 27-15 at halftime and 37-29 after three.
Wauconda outscored Carmel 18-7 in the fourth.
"Words cannot describe how proud I am of this team," Bulldogs coach Jaime Dennis said. "After being down by 17 at one point in the first half, the girls played with a tremendous amount of heart and determination. Going into half, I was pleased with the defensive effort. We did not execute our offense well and shots were rushed. We pulled it together in the second half. Our focus was one possession at a time.
"Kylie (Szmajda) and Morgan (Lung) did a great job on their big girls, along with great help from their teammates. After struggling on the boards (Friday) night, we won that battle today. Ella (Karg) was the sparkplug for our offense, hitting shots and distributing the ball. The energy and support from the bench was a huge boost for those on the court. It was a great team effort."
Round Lake 40, Grant 36: Lilli Burton scored 17 points, and the host Panthers captured the Northern Lake County Conference game for their season-best third win in a row.
Taylor Major added 7 points for Round Lake (6-17, 3-6).
Jazzlyn Linbo scored 12 points to lead Grant (12-10, 6-3), which lost its third straight.
Antioch 53, North Chicago 26: Avery Larson had 16 points and 16 rebounds for the visiting Sequoits in the Northern Lake County Conference game.
Gianna Riforgiato contributed 11 points and 8 rebounds for Antioch (9-13, 4-5). Faith Miller had 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and Molly Volkmar scored 9 points in the win.
Grayslake Central 64, Lakes 22: Amanda Kocialkowki and Kate Bullman each scored 14 points for the host Rams, who boasted four players in double figures.
Grayslake Central improved to 19-3 and 9-0 in the Northern Lake County Conference with its 11th win in a row. Rams sophomore Piper Gallaher made three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 11 points. MK Drevline added 10 points for the hosts, who led 19-2 after one quarter.
Lakes (4-16, 3-6) received 5 points apiece from Kailey Gara and Rosie Tekampe.
Mundelein 44, Wheeling 37: Allison Binz scored a career-high 18 points, and the visiting Mustangs picked up the nonconference victory.
Morgan Frank added 17 points (two 3-pointers), 7 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals for Mundelein (5-18). Binz, a sophomore forward, sank three 3s and also had 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
Woodstock North 44, Grayslake North 36: Peyton Gerdes scored 12 points, including three 3-pointers, for the host Knights in the nonconference game.
Grayslake North fell to 8-15 with its fourth loss in a row.
"Woodstock North is a good scrappy team, and we came out a little flat after playing a tough physical game last night against Wauconda," Knights coach Roger Lass said. "But we battled through it, and we were in the game the whole way."
Vernon Hills 50, Warren 48 (OT): Freshman Grace Koepke scored 13 points, as the visiting Cougars prevailed in overtime of the nonconference game.
Daniella Jarrell and Alexa Cieslinski each had 9 points for Vernon Hills (14-8), which won its fifth in a row.
"Credit Warren for coming back on us, but thankfully we were able to control overtime a bit," Cougars coach Paul Brettner said.
Macy Kocen had 21 points for Warren (8-17).