Christian Liberty wins program's first sectional game
Christian Liberty's girls basketball team continued to make more memories in its record-setting season.
The Chargers won their first sectional game since joining the IHSA is 2009 with a 58-47 triumph over Richards in the Class 1A Collins Academy sectional semifinals in Chicago in Tuesday.
The Chargers (29-3) will take a 28-game winning streak into Thursday's championship game against No. 2 seeded Chicago Hope Academy.
Leading the girls from Arlington Heights were sophomores Julia Wolke and Melissa Castro with 15 points each. Classmate Hannah Mindak added 10 points.
"Hannah had another superb game," said Chargers coach Steve Rowland. "She has played her best basketball the last month and half of the season."
Megan Ng added 8 points and Audrey Law had six for the Chargers.
Prospect 34, Buffalo Grove 30: After falling 41-36 and 60-42 to Buffalo Grove in the Mid-Suburban East, the No. 11-seeded Knights made the third time the charm in the Class 4A Fremd regional semifinal.
Junior guard Eliot Dojutrek netted a game-high 18 points for Prospect (15-14), which will face top-seeded Fremd (23-8) in Thursday's 7 p.m. title game.
Macy Floro led No. 6 BG (17-11) with 9 points.
Hersey 76, Waukegan 40: Katy Eidle (19 points), Mary Kate Fahey (19), Avery Larson (10) and Mary McGrath (9) led Hersey in the semifinal of the Class 4A Carmel regional.
The top-seeded and MSL East co-champion Huskies (25-7) will face No. 8 Carmel at 7 p.m. on Thursday for the title.
Maine West 83, Von Steuben 23: Dylan Van Fleet (22 points, 4 assists), Angela Dugalic (14 points, 6 assists, 5 steals), Brianna Hernandez (12 points), Jane Rothweiler (10 points) and Jade Thomas (9 points) led the top-seeded Warriors in the Class 4A Niles West regional.
The Warriors (27-3) will face No. 11 Niles West in Thursday's 7 p.m. championship.
Lake Zurich 47, Rolling Meadows 44: No. 7 Lake Zurich stopped No. 10 Rolling Meadows (13-12) in the semifinals of the Class 4A Lake Zurich regional.
Fremd 76, Warren 36: Ella Burns (16 points, four 3-pointers), Grace LaBarge (14 points) and Emily Klaczek (12) all reached double figures for MSL champion and No. 3 seeded Fremd (23-8), which advanced to the championship of its own Class 4A regional and will face No. 11 Prospect at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Libertyville 55, Wheeling 31: Chloe Drozdz led No. 18 Wheeling (5-26) against No. 2 Libertyville in the semifinal of the Class 4A Lake Zurich regional.
Wheaton North 34, Conant 21: Wheaton North reeled off 17 straight points in the first and second quarters to claim a 34-21 victory at the Class 4A Glenbard West regional semifinals in Glen Ellyn on Tuesday.
Conant senior center Chikere Oduocha scored the first basket of the game, but Wheaton North scored the next 6 to end the first quarter with a 6-2 lead. The No. 4 seed Falcons (19-6) led 17-2 midway through the second quarter when Conant senior forward Rachel Kutella scored a runner in the lane.
"We always talk about ball pressure and how it's key to us winning," said Wheaton North junior Caroline Gaither, whose steal and layup with 2:45 left in the game gave the Falcons a 31-15 lead, the biggest margin of the game. "It's just our defense and getting pressure on the ball. We always talk about how deflections lead to steals, so that's what gets us going offensively is our defense."
Isabella Tierney, a junior guard, led No. 13 seed Conant with 8 points and Oduocha added 7.
Ellie Hubbard scored 13 points to lead Wheaton North, and Julia Simon added 9 points. Simon also had 6 steals.
The win sends the Falcons into the regional final at 7 p.m. Thursday against host Glenbard West, the No. 6 seed in the Hoffman Estates sectional.
"It means a lot, because now we have some mojo going into Thursday and hopefully get the job done," Gaither said.
- Orrin Schwarz