Girls Basketball: Brettner, Vernon Hills take NSC title game loss in stride
By Bill McLean Contributor February 8, 2012 11:10PM
Vernon Hills' Lauren Webb (right) shoots while being defended by Libertyville's Kerry Risley during last week's NSC championship game. | Michael Schmidt~Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: April 16, 2012 1:42AM
Coach Paul Brettner, some 15 minutes after his Vernon Hills High School girls basketball team lost 47-32 to visiting Libertyville in the NSC Championship last week, stood courtside as he recalled some of the 32 minutes of action.
He hardly looked like a losing coach on Feb. 8.
He looked downright grateful.
“I’d trade a couple of our easy wins this year for a tough game like this,” Brettner said.
“Teams, in the playoffs,” he added, “are going to play as hard as Libertyville did tonight.”
Libertyville (21-6), now the three-year reigning NSC champion, played relentless ball at both ends of the court in the first half.
Wildcats senior guard Alex Haley, in the first half, poured in 16 of her game-high 20 points and found enough energy to limit VH sophomore sharpshooter Sydney Smith to a three-pointer.
Smith, four days earlier, had hurt twine for a school-record eight treys in a 61-46 win at Lakes.
Libertyville post players Kerry Risley, Nicole Kruckman and Molly Moon did a number, defensively, on VH No. 50: 6-foot-2 junior center Meri Bennett-Swanson (four points in the first half).
“Bennett-Swanson is a handful,” Wildcats coach Kathie Swanson said. “She’s good inside and outside, and she’s physical.
“Our kids did a nice job providing help defense.”
Lake Division champ Libertyville scored 10 of the final 12 points of the second quarter and led 30-15 at the break.
But Prairie Division pride kicked in for VH (21-5) after the break.
Brettner’s bunch went on a 14-5 run in the third quarter, paring Libertyville’s gap to 35-29 at 0:58. Cougars senior guard Abby Springer hit a pair of treys, and Bennett-Swanson and junior forward Alina Lehocky scored four points apiece in the surge.
Libertyville, undaunted, closed the quarter with a pair of buckets (one by Kruckman, one by Moon) and held VH to three points in the fourth quarter.
“Defense was the key … defense, definitely,” said Risley, who scored eight points, including the game’s last six (three field goals).
“Our coach likes to stress defense in practice, and she’ll stress it some more before the playoffs start.”
Haley’s offense?
That stresses defenses.
Libertyville’s 5-7 guard popped for two three-pointers in the first half and fearlessly drove and slithered around taller hoopsters for several two-pointers.
More than once, while driving, she appeared to disappear completely in a sea of Cougars in the lane. Then, like a stream of rising fountain water, the ball would squirt up, through arms, before falling through a net.
“She was on fire,” Swanson said. “Alex played well, offensively and defensively. But I really liked the way she denied the ball.”
Wildcats senior guard Eileen Knauff, ever active again, finished with eight points and 10 rebounds; Kruckman had five points, six boards and a game-high four steals; and Libertyville junior Olivia Mayer collected three steals.
Bennett-Swanson paced VH with eight points, followed by Springer (six) and sophomore forward Lauren Webb (six). Lehocky came down with a team-high nine rebounds.
“Libertyville,” Brettner said, “plays with so much intensity. It’s a team that was getting after it, while putting us on our heels. We made some adjustments early in the second half.
“But Libertyville,” he added, “is a team that likes to take you out of what you like to do. (Wildcats) took away our vision while we brought the ball up and fought through screens well.”
‘Post’ script: Libertyville, a third seed in 4A, and VH, a second seed in 3A, were to begin postseason play at home on Feb. 14. Libertyville awaited the Round Lake-Wheeling winner, VH the Amundsen/Sullivan winner.
The Libertyville and Vernon Hills regional finals start at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment