Lockport coach Dan Kelly decided this past weekend was a golden opportunity to see how freshman Alaina Peetz would fare against varsity competition.
He brought up the 5-foot-11 guard/forward for the Oak Lawn Holiday Tournament. She showed him and everybody else by earning MVP honors as the Porters took the title.
“It was kind of shocking,” Peetz said, laughing. “But my teammates really helped me get the ball and do the best I could with the circumstances that came.
“They just found spots when I was open, and they helped me play and keep my confidence up.”
Peetz started the season on the sophomore team.
“I knew about her coming in,” Kelly said. “But last year, the junior highs didn’t play, so the last time I saw her play was in seventh grade. This summer, she was unable to fully participate because she was dealing with an injury. And then in the fall she played volleyball.
“So really, the first time we had an opportunity to see her was in tryouts. We had it in the back of our heads at some point in the season we’d move her up to varsity with us. We just wanted to give her an opportunity to make the transition to high school at the JV level.”
When the sophomore team wasn’t scheduled to compete over Christmas, Kelly made the move.
During a 46-43 semifinal victory over Romeoville, Peetz scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and shot 4 of 4 from the free-throw line.
The next night, in a nontournament game against Stagg, she scored the deciding basket with 10 seconds remaining in a 49-48 win.
Peetz is averaging 9.0 points and 4.0 rebounds over her five games with Lockport (10-4).
Frazzled freshman? Not here.
“She plays with confidence,” Kelly said. “In those close games against Stagg and Romeoville, she made some excellent decisions with the ball in her hands, whether it was to make a pass or not make a pass.
“Obviously, she had ice in her veins to knock down free throws against Romeoville and then to score the basket against Stagg. She has an all-around skill set. Right now she’s playing the post, but someday she may be a guard for us.”
Another standout for Lockport was senior Emily Villasenor.
The 5-10 forward scored a game-high 12 points in the championship game as the Porters defeated host Oak Lawn 44-26.
Villasenor, who’s averaging 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds, is in her second season on the varsity.
“She’s just a kid who keeps getting better,” Kelly said. “It started for her just in terms of her energy. The effort that she puts forth in focusing on rebounds is what has led to her success.”
Soph spark: When it’s tipoff time, sophomore Morgan Feil is ready to jump for Mother McAuley.
“Always,” Mighty Macs coach Keisha Newell said. “Having a young team with three sophomores, the most nerve-wracking part is, ‘Are we going to come out ready to go?’
“We can always rely on her to bring that sense of urgency, that energy.”
Feil was ready to roll for McAuley in Monday’s 52-37 victory over Yorkville in the Grow the Game Tournament at New Trier.
The 5-10 small forward scored 10 points in the first quarter as the Mighty Macs (7-4) opened up a 15-9 lead. She finished with 12. Bella Finnegan led the way with 20.
Feil is in her second season on the varsity. She’s averaging 11.2 points and 7.9 rebounds.
“Just from a toughness standpoint, she brings an edge to every practice and every game,” Newell said. “She’s a workhorse and she’s so versatile. She can do many different things for us on both ends of the court.
“Morgan has a nose for the ball. She goes and gets it.”
Did you know? The Hillcrest Holiday Classic is the longest-running Christmas tournament in the Southland for girls basketball. The first was held in 1979, with Sue Galkantas leading Oak Forest to the championship.
Sandburg and Marian Catholic are tied at the top for all-time titles with six apiece. Hillcrest and Lincoln-Way Central each won four times.
