Amy Kaplan knows the sad day is coming sooner than she would like. Her goal now is to prolong her stellar Cary-Grove High School basketball career as long as possible before giving up the sport she loves.
“I can’t imagine life without basketball,” said Kaplan, a senior forward. “I don’t know what I’ll do when we lose and there’s no more basketball.”
Kaplan probably won’t have any problems filling her schedule after the basketball season. As a three-sport standout, the 5-foot-11 Kaplan will move right into volleyball, which she enjoys as much as basketball and for which she earned a scholarship to the University of Kentucky.
She can also focus on maintaining her 3.6 grade-point average and participating in school clubs.
But for the time being there’s nothing more important to Kaplan than playing as much basketball as she can.
“Hopefully, I have a month of basketball left in my career, and I’m going to try my best for the team,” she said.
The way Cary-Grove is playing these days, Kaplan and the Trojans could be one of eight teams playing Downstate in March. Cary-Grove improved its record to 22-4 and 14-3 in the Fox Valley Conference after narrowly edging Crystal Lake Central 43-42 on Kaplan’s game-winning layup with 22 seconds left.
The Trojans have one remaining regular season game, against McHenry on Friday, before state playoffs begin Tuesday. As the third seed in the McHenry Sectional, Cary-Grove opens the playoffs as host to Rockford Auburn.
Averaging around 15 points and seven rebounds per game, Kaplan has been a major factor in the Trojans’ success. But she is not alone.
Cary-Grove, which lost last year in the sectional final, has solid height across the board with 5-10 senior Kim Kalivoda, the team’s leading rebounder; 5-9 junior guard Anna Ashley; 6-3 sophomore Ellen Jaeschke; 5-9 junior Julianne Kennelly; 5-9 junior guard Kate Bandur; 5-8 freshman guard Lauren Scott; 5-4 junior guard Tera Lippert; and 5-10 junior Anne Cooper.
“I think we’ve lived up to our expectations,” coach Jim Altendorf said.
Cary-Grove was hit with a setback when senior guard Krista Petrie had a season-ending knee injury in December, leaving Kalivoda and Kaplan as the only seniors.
Altendorf said the seniors have been instrumental in the team’s success.
“With her strength and power, there’s not a lot of people who have been able to stop Amy,” Altendorf said. “When there are big games, she always shows up.
“Amy is one of the most unselfish kids I’ve ever been around, especially for being such a great athlete.”
Kaplan scored her 1,000th career point against Dundee-Crown. She didn’t even know she had reached the milestone.
“We were actually watching the video, and coach was like, `By the way, you scored your 1,000th point,'” said Kaplan, who played varsity as a freshman but sat out her sophomore season because of chronic knee problems. “When he told me, it was a pleasant surprise, but really I could care less.
“I’m more team-oriented. I don’t care about numbers. I just want to keep getting better.”
Kaplan’s attitude and work ethic have ensured success at most everything she has done at Cary-Grove. As a leader on the volleyball team, Kaplan helped the Trojans to a Sweet 16 berth last season. In softball, the center fielder and shortstop won the state hitting derby championship.
Kaplan, who started as a freshman, won’t play softball this season because it would interfere with club volleyball. Kaplan said she will compete in track and field instead.
“[Track] is something I always thought would be fun,” she said. “I don’t want to leave high school saying I wish I would’ve done anything.”
Kaplan has also excelled outside of athletics. She is the co-president of the club Go Out and Make a Difference. She’s also in the mentoring program and a member of the National Honor Society and Leaders of the Pack, an anti-tobacco club.
“I need to be doing something,” she said. “I get bored really quick.”
