Boys Basketball
Athlete of the Week
POPLAR GROVE – Richmond-Burton saw its chance at a share of the Big Northern Conference East Division girls basketball title flash before its eyes Thursday when its starting point guard and leading scorer, senior Erin Thomas, went down with a sprained ankle in the last five minutes of practice Thursday.
McHENRY – Huntley took another important step toward defending its Fox Valley Conference Valley Division boys basketball title by winning in one of the toughest road gyms in the league.
CRYSTAL LAKE – With Hampshire’s star forward Tyler Watzlawick sitting with four fouls early in the third quarter Friday, Crystal Lake Central’s Chase Cane knew it was time to attack.
HEBRON – Alden-Hebron’s Carissa Stauss decided early on that she was not going to let the Giants lose the last home basketball game of her high school career.
GRAYSLAKE – Johnsburg has proved it can play with any of the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division’s top teams, although closing the deal has been another matter.
SYCAMORE – Marengo’s Jessica Villie scored 11 of her game-high 18 points as part of a 21-point third quarter in the Indians’ 47-35 non-conference win against Sycamore on Tuesday.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Cary-Grove had one last chance to win a game it had slowly let slip away.
McHENRY – Dundee-Crown guard Will Stupar had a rather forgettable shooting performance through 31 minutes.
JOHNSBURG – Mike Ward had a pretty good feeling about his jump shot during warmups.
CARPENTERSVILLE – The way Huntley and Dundee-Crown got after each other defensively, uncontested baskets were difficult to find.
Athlete of the Week
CRYSTAL LAKE – Senior Chase Cane scored 24 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the free-throw line Friday, and the Crystal Lake Central boys basketball team rallied for a 56-49 Fox Valley Conference Fox Division win against Johnsburg.
McHENRY – As the “Orange Mamba” struck again, Prairie Ridge’s Sean Valentine was left shaking his head.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake South did a lot right in the first half Friday, playing some of its most efficient offense of the season.
GRAYSLAKE – Crystal Lake Central faced another opportunity to conquer its main nemesis.
NORTHWEST HERALD
WOODSTOCK – For Hampshire, a three-game winning streak is nice. For Whip-Purs boys basketball coach Bob Barnett, a 400th victory represents a 25-year streak of coaching success.
ALGONQUIN – Jacobs boys basketball coach Jim Hinkle spent much of Monday’s practice telling his 6-foot-4 junior guard, Nick Ledinsky, to just shoot the basketball.
HOFFMAN ESTATES – Huntley had reason to feel good about its situation against Elgin at halftime.
GRAYSLAKE – Hampshire’s boys basketball team rose to the occasion Saturday, dealing Grayslake North its first Fox Valley Conference Fox Division defeat.
McHENRY – McHenry guard Jeff Nicholls avoided the layup lines and shooting drills during halftime warm-ups. The 5-foot-11 senior didn’t want to mess up his rhythm; he wanted to stay hot.
HOFFMAN ESTATES – Basketball fans from Huntley and Elgin practically have been frothing at the mouth for this.
Athlete of the week
GRAYSLAKE – Crystal Lake Central needed a strong road performance to put itself in position to repeat as Fox Valley Conference Fox Division champion.
CARY – McHenry senior guard Danny Glick had plenty of time to contemplate what was on the line.
SCHAUMBURG – Troy Miller’s numbers differ only slightly from those of last basketball season.
ALGONQUIN – In a girls basketball game that was much closer than the Fox Valley Conference standings, Dundee-Crown held on to defeat Jacobs, 42-40, on Tuesday.
WOODSTOCK – When Woodstock North did not score for the first 3 minutes, it looked like the game might shape up as too many had before for the Thunder.
McHENRY – Chicago Blackhawks national anthem singer Jim Cornelison will perform at the boys basketball game Saturday between McHenry and Crystal Lake South.
BYRON – The Hampshire girls basketball team took third Monday at the Byron Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Tournament, finishing 3-1.
WOODSTOCK – Some losses are tougher to swallow than others.
Huntley boys basketball coach Marty Manning remembers the excitement the final regular-season game stirred when he played at Hoffman Estates.
CARY – The Crystal Lake South boys basketball team had a month to come up with an answer for Cary-Grove’s offense.
CARPENTERSVILLE – Brandon Rodriguez’s scoring kept Dundee-Crown in the game in the third quarter and won it for them in the fourth.
WOODSTOCK – Johnsburg had to feel a little shocked and deflated heading into overtime against Woodstock North.
Athlete of the Week
HAMPSHIRE – Grayslake Central guard Jordan Taylor dumped in 27 points to lead the Rams past Hampshire in their Fox Valley Conference Fox Division game Friday night.
CARY – Cary-Grove forward Olivia Jakubicek watched most of the second quarter from the bench Wednesday.
JOHNSBURG – There were three ties and 12 lead changes in Johnsburg’s boys basketball game against Grayslake North on Tuesday.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Dundee-Crown forward Dylan Kissack and guard Brandon Rodriguez feel they can provide a formidable 1-2 scoring punch for the Chargers.
McHENRY – Jacobs’ Alex Glover knew he was going to have to do things a little differently.
College soccer coaches liked Jacobs senior Lauren Grady’s work on the field when they saw her play in person or on her highlight DVD.
HAMPSHIRE – Hampshire made up for an ugly start with a beautiful finish.
WOODSTOCK – The right adjustments at the right time made all the difference for the Johnsburg boys basketball team Saturday night.
CARY – District 155 rivals Cary-Grove and Prairie Ridge played a sometimes sloppy, sometimes scrappy but always heated boys basketball game Saturday
CARPENTERSVILLE – All Brandon Gordon can do is prepare for when his number is called.
Athlete of the Week
McHENRY – With everything on the line, McHenry freshman wrestler Cam Pait displayed the poise of a veteran in the final match of the night.
HUNTLEY – Huntley’s basketball practices over the last part of the holiday, by all accounts, were spirited and productive.
