Last year at this time, Karly Chesko was doing her best to beat Neuqua Valley.
Twelve months later, she’s pulling out all the stops to help the Wildcats earn their second straight trip to the Class AA girls state basketball finals.
The 17-year-old senior guard, who transferred this year from Upstate Eight rival St. Charles East, has fit in comfortably as a starter for a Wildcat team that’s 20-4 overall, 9-0 in the Upstate Eight and No. 12 in this week’s Tribune rankings.
“She brings a maturity level, and she’s got a little edge to her,” said Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams. “She walks around with a little swagger, and you need that. She can shoot the lights out.”
Chesko had one of her biggest games of the season Saturday as she helped spark Neuqua to a 59-54 victory over previously unbeaten Bolingbrook, a team that earned the top seed ahead of the Wildcats in this month’s Class AA Plainfield sectional tournament.
“We were real excited for this game, and we wanted to prove to everyone that we should have been the No. 1 seed,” said Chesko, who averages 11 points per game and hits 42 percent of her 3-point attempts.
Bolingbrook jumped out to leads of 16-2 and 18-4, but the Wildcats didn’t panic.
“They came ready to play too,” she said. “We knew it was just the first quarter, and so we had three other quarters to get our act together.”
It didn’t take that long. Chesko’s 9 second-quarter points helped the Wildcats storm past the Raiders on the way to a 32-28 halftime advantage. Neuqua maintained the edge through the second half, building leads as large as 11 points.
Last year at St. Charles East, Chesko was a starter who averaged 7 points per game and helped beat Neuqua Valley in the first of the teams’ two meetings. The Wildcats turned the tables later in the season and ripped the Saints to clinch the Upstate Eight crown.
After moving into the Neuqua Valley district last summer, Chesko joined the Wildcats in off-season competition, including an Oregon tournament.
“The thing that really shines is her ability to adapt to a new situation and become a total team player without expecting anything in return,” said Williams. “She never came in with any expectations except for a fair chance to prove herself. And that’s tough for a transfer kid, especially a senior.
“She made instant friends. Kids opened up their arms and accepted her.”
By fall, Chesko had earned a starting spot. But she struggled at times early in the season.
“I think it was because she was trying to find her adjustment with the team and how we play and how to click in,” said Williams. “Then right around the second game of the Naperville North [holiday] tournament, that’s when she started to really come about, kind of come into her own.”
Neuqua has a balanced attack with three strong senior shooting guards, including Chesko, Jennia Siljendahl and Laura Laurent, and a potent front line in 6-foot-3 sophomores Lindsay Wisdom and Jess Jones.
“We’re pretty much an all-around team, and that’s what makes us good,” said Chesko. “And our defense is awesome.”
But perhaps the hallmark of this talented group is its ability to work well together.
“I’m very proud of us because we have all worked together to be where we’re at,” Chesko said. “We’ve come a long way. I know we still have the next five-six games left, and we’re going to totally step it up.
“I need to take every game as if it were my last game and play with everything I’ve got–play with heart, play with intensity and be smart.”
Chesko has long been an active athlete. Throughout her life she’s participated in tennis, track, swimming and gymnastics. “I was the little jock of the family,” she said.
But her first love is basketball.
“I love the competition,” she said. “I always feel I can get better and learn something new from each game. It keeps me wanting more. I can play it all the time, and the people I play with have a lot to do with it. If I didn’t have supporting friends and supporting coaches, I wouldn’t be playing basketball.”
Chesko plans to continue next year in college. But she’s not sure where.
“I don’t know yet,” she said. “I haven’t got any offers, so I’m just kind of waiting around until the season’s over. But hopefully, I’ll have a few.
“My dream would be to play Division I, but I’m going to take what comes my way. If it does, that’s awesome. But if it doesn’t, I’m still going to play basketball.”
