Presenting the 2021-2022 Fox All-Area Girls Basketball Team

The seconds could not tick off fast enough for Prairie Ridge.The Wolves, who had played such efficient offense and stifling defense in the first half, were getting that served right back at them by Cary-Grove in the fourth quarter.

Prairie Ridge didn’t get the ending it was looking for last week in a 36-19 loss to Cary-Grove in the teams’ Fox Valley Conference finale.The Wolves, who at one point this season rattled off 15 consecutive wins, didn’t have to wait long to get another shot at the Trojans.

No. 9 seed Round Lake pulled out a 42-34 win over No. 8 seed Warren in a Class 4A Stevenson girls basketball regional semifinal Tuesday night.

While cliché in nature, the old “everybody is 0-0 at the start of the playoffs” is a truthful statement.A deeper meaning, as South Elgin girls basketball coach Dan Mandernack explained, is don’t overlook anybody or uniforms might be turned in the next day.

Senior forward Jori Heard scored the first six points for Huntley and teammate Jessie Ozzauto followed with a couple of 3-pointers.

Who has the hottest of hot hands right now in the Fox Valley area?

Cary-Grove came out firing in the second half, scoring on four of its first five offensive possessions and looking to grab momentum against Prairie Ridge after both teams struggled to find the basket in the game’s first 16 minutes. The Trojans cut the lead to 2 in the fourth, but Prairie Ridge made its free throws down the stretch and pulled away for a 37-29 victory in the teams’ Fox Valley Conference girls basketball game on Wednesday.

Here’s a look at where Fox area schools are headed for girls basketball holiday tournaments, including St. Charles East, Huntley and Burlington Central playing at Montini, and Dundee-Crown hosting its annual Komaromy Classic.

With two of Cary-Grove’s top scorers unavailable Friday, Trojans senior guard Avery Nielsen looked to get involved right away.Nielsen attacked the basket early, scoring all 10 of her points in the first quarter. Three times, she drew a foul.Nielsen was one of three Trojans players to score in double figures Friday as C-G beat McHenry, 47-31, in their Fox Valley Conference game at Elroy Fitzgerald Gymnasium.

Emily Lukowski scored 23 points, 18 of which came in the second half, as she led Cary-Grove over Hampshire, 53-37.

Johnsburg senior guard Macy Madsen hit two 3-pointers and had a steal-and-score to close out the first half in a flourish against Cary-Grove, cutting the Trojans’ once 9-point lead to three. After halftime, it was a completely different game. The Trojans played shutdown defense, holding Johnsburg to only 7 points over the final 16 minutes on their way to a 59-34 victory Wednesday to advance to the championship of the Johnsburg Girls Basketball Thanksgiving Tournament.

Here’s a look at the girls basketball season in the Fox Valley