Lauren Huber and Libertyville did it again.
On March 3, the Wildcats handed Stevenson its first loss of the season to win the North Suburban Conference’s regular-season title for the third season in a row.
On Saturday, senior guard Morgan Spaulding equaled her career high with 20 points and Huber had a double-double to lead Libertyville to a 52-46 victory against the Patriots in the NSC Tournament championship game.
Spaulding hit five 3-pointers for the Wildcats (16-2), who pulled away in the third quarter. Huber, a senior guard, finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and sophomore guard Emily Fisher had 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Patriots (16-2) were led by junior guard Ava Bardic’s 16 points.
Huber said the tournament championship game presented mixed emotions, especially since the Wildcats didn’t have an opportunity to test themselves in the postseason. The Illinois High School Association did not hold a state series due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Libertyville’s senior group of Huber, Spaulding, Annalese Chudy and Marianna Morrissey compiled an 80-29 career record with two regional titles.
“Going into the title game, it was definitely a whirlwind of emotions with it being my last high school game,” Huber said. “It was game 109 of my career. … When the game ended, a huge surge of emotion hit me. I just ran to the three other seniors, and we all embraced. We were happy with the win but sad that our high school careers were over.”
Huber averaged 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals and made 26 3-pointers this season. Spaulding led the team with 36 3-pointers and averaged 12.7 points and 2.9 steals, while Morrissey averaged 8.2 points and 2.5 steals. Fisher averaged a team-high 15.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.9 assist and 2.0 blocks.
Huber, a Holy Cross recruit, finished her career with more than 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals.
“Her legacy is that she did it all,” Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen said. “Yeah, she could score when we needed a basket, but she could set up teammates in great spots, she could pull rebounds, she could keep possessions alive by flying in for tip-outs and offensive rebounds. She was a great on-ball defender and had anticipation skills that were off the charts.”
Stevenson will be back: Stevenson coach Ashley Graham admitted it was an emotional moment for her players after the loss to Libertyville, which handed the Patriots their only two defeats this season.
“It was quiet, and there were a lot of tears,” Graham said. “We had to say goodbye to five amazing seniors. … The group, as a whole, was so special. I’m so grateful we got this time together. I’m so sad that this 2021 season is over. The seniors have meant so much to this program and to me. It’s going to take some time to digest.
“When the talent on a team is dispersed so evenly within each class, it’s a recipe for sustained success.”
The Patriots will bring back an abundance of talent next season, including Bardic, junior guard Simone Sawyer and freshmen sensations Kendell Williams and Emory Klatt. Several conference coaches have mentioned the Patriots’ returning firepower.
Sawyer averaged a team-high 16.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.5 assists this season. Bardic averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 steals, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 steals.
“There’s definitely so much excitement surrounding what we return from a talent, experience and leadership perspective,” Graham said.
Lake Forest update: Lake Forest underwent a major overhaul since losing last season to eventual Class 4A state champion Fremd in a sectional final. The Scouts had a coaching change, dealt with a radical shift in playing style after losing do-it-all Halle Douglass — the program’s all-time leader in nearly every category — and were the hunter rather than the hunted after winning back-to-back regional titles.
Senior guard Molly Fisher, a Denison recruit, said it was a challenging season on many levels for the Scouts (7-7) in coach Stacey Leach’s first season.
“Our season had some ups and downs,” Fisher said. “It was so much different than any other season because it was so short. If we played a bad game, we would have to fix something within 12 hours in order to do well in our next game.
“Overall, we had a very young team and did a great job. Being a senior, I’m looking forward to seeing them succeed over the next few years.”
Gerdes got going: Grayslake North’s Peyton Gerdes quietly put up some big numbers this season.
The sophomore forward averaged 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 48% from the field and 26% on 3-point attempts.
Gerdes scored a career-high 33 points in a win against North Chicago and broke the program’s career record for double-doubles.
“Peyton continued to grow this year in all aspects of the game,” Grayslake North coach Roger Lass said. “Not only was her scoring and rebounding up from last year, but she became a better ballhandler, passer and defender.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
