There’s little doubt the Lake Zurich girls basketball team is playing the best it has all season.
The Bears proved as much during their 51-40 North Suburban Lake win over Mundelein on Friday night, which gave them a three-game winning streak — their longest of the year.
“We’ve literally been winning one, then losing one over and over until recently,” Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett said. “Right now, we’re doing a lot of little things well and playing with a lot of confidence.”
Lake Zurich (12-13, 5-6) fell behind by three at the end of the first quarter, but after that, displayed patience and made smart decisions at both ends of the floor. The Bears shot 58.8 percent (10-for-17) from the field in the first half, thanks in part to junior guard Rachel Kuehr, who scored nine of her season-high 13 points in the second quarter. That included a buzzer-beating three just before halftime, which gave Lake Zurich a nine-point edge (27-18), and additional momentum, at intermission.
After the game, however, Kuehr was more interested in discussing her outstanding defensive effort than her point total. She finished with four steals and was constantly pressuring the ball.
“I knew Mundelein’s guard Maggie Mahar [team-high 12 points] was a really good player, so I did everything I could to stay on her. I was trying to get up in the passing lanes, and I knew they’d try to set a lot of screens for her because she likes to take three-point shots. The times I couldn’t stay with her, my teammates were there to help.”
Indeed, Lake Zurich’s help defense was a huge factor. The Bears held Mundelein to 33 percent shooting (14-for-42), and collapsed on the ball like a hungry pack of wolves the majority of the time the Mustangs tried to drive to the rim.
“Rachel did an outstanding job against Mahar, and the rest of the team seemed to show a great deal of instinct tonight,” Bennett said. “We didn’t allow many uncontested shots. This was the second time we’ve beat Mundelein this season, and we seem to have them scouted pretty well.”
It was also senior night, and despite a slow start, Bears senior forward Elly Daleske (game-high 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists) notched a double-double with relentless, scrappy play under the basket. She was shoved, elbowed and knocked down several times, but routinely boxed out so efficiently, she accounted for 61.1 percent of her team’s 18 total rebounds.
“It was senior night against a division opponent, but I always try to stay motivated to play hard no matter the situation or who we’re playing,” Daleske said. “This was a big game for us. We knew if we won, it would be our longest winning streak of the season.”
Lake Zurich got 28 points from its bench, was 15-for-19 from the free throw line, and shot 50 percent (15-for-30) from two-point range.
That’s exactly the kind of basketball the Bears — who drew a No. 12 seed in the upcoming Class 4A playoffs — will need to play when they face Deerfield in the quarterfinal round to open the postseason Feb. 16. The Bears already beat the Warriors once earlier this season.
“If we’re patient, run our concepts on offense and defense, and rebound like we did tonight, we’re going to keep having success,” Bennett said.
Mundelein coach Brian Evans, who got 10 points from senior Maria DeVito and six points from Madison Davis, aired his disappointment after the game, which saw two of his players foul out. The Mustangs won 20 games last season, and despite returning most of their key players, have 10 wins in 2014-15. They’ll be a No. 13 seed when the playoffs start.
“It’s been rough this season,” Evans said. “And you can print that, on the record. It’s been frustrating.”
Tim Froehlig is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
