Libertyville’s Lily Fisher glanced at the standing-room-only home crowd as she walked off the court for the final time in her freshman season on Monday night.
The good news for fans is they will get to see Fisher, whose older sister Emily is a freshman at Maryland, play for three more years. The bad news for other Chicagoland teams is Fisher is just scratching the surface of her potential.
But the 6-foot-1 point guard’s growth from her season debut to the Wildcats’ first supersectional in 30 years was tremendous.
“It’s been amazing, especially as a freshman,” Fisher said. “I’m really excited for (the future). To be here is actually crazy.”
Fisher capped her debut season with an impactful performance, contributing 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal in the Wildcats’ 53-44 loss to undefeated Loyola in the Class 4A Libertyville Supersectional.
Senior guard Rachel Rule scored 19 points for the Wildcats (30-6), and her twin sister, Kate, a senior guard, finished with eight points. Junior guard Aubrey Galvan led Loyola (36-0) with 19 points, six steals and three rebounds.
Fisher, who was in foul trouble for most of the game, scored an early basket to give the Wildcats an 8-0 lead. She hit a 3-pointer late in the second quarter for Libertyville’s final lead at 17-16.
Fisher impressed Loyola coach Jeremy Schoenecker. Several stellar point guards, including Galvan and Saint Louis senior Julia Martinez, have played for him.
“She is going to be as good as her sister is,” Schoenecker said. “She can shoot it. She attacks it really well and has great size. She’s got all sorts of moves around the basket, even the Euro step. We knew it was going to be a tough cover for us.”
Fisher started for the Wildcats from day one but had to get used to her new role as a point guard. By the end of the season, she was bringing the ball up the court and directing the half-court offense. She struggled against the pressure defense of Loyola’s all-guard lineup at times, but she used her height and length to get out of trouble on several possessions.
“It was definitely a change, but I got used to it,” Fisher said of playing point guard. “I’m more confident now. I didn’t start playing point guard really until high school. It’s fun but a little more tiring. I’ve had to work on my ballhandling to become more comfortable and to be able to attack and create.”
Fisher ended the season averaging 7.3 points, 3.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.0 deflections while shooting 42.5% on 3-point attempts.
Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen said he urged Fisher to take on a bigger role on offense from the beginning.
“In summer league, we stressed that if she was going to handle the ball, attack and shoot the ball as much as Kate and Rachel, that we would be really good,” Pedersen said. “In November, that didn’t happen. It was a matter of her seeing she could do it and gaining confidence. You could see it during the playoffs.
“To Kate and Rachel’s credit, they never batted an eye. They never cared who was the point guard or ballhandler. They saw her potential.”
Fisher went toe-to-toe with the highly recruited Galvan on many possessions on Monday.
“I’ve progressed a lot since that first game,” Fisher said. “Aubrey is a tough player, obviously amazing. She was good competition. It was fun going at it.”
Galvan, who is headed back to the state tournament after helping Deerfield reach the Class 3A semifinals last season, acknowledged the challenge.
“Fisher is a big guard with a lot of potential,” Galvan said. “She’s very shifty for her height.”
Libertyville senior guard/forward Maddy Kopala, who had eight rebounds against Loyola, watched Fisher progress throughout the season.
“Emily was like my older sister,” Kopala said. “She was such a big mentor to me, but I’ve become so close to Lily this season. I drive her everywhere. She lives right by me.
“Her poise is amazing. She was able to stay poised in tough moments, like tonight. She’s really built her confidence up at the right time. Her ability to drive and shoot opens up our offense. She’s an amazing player with a great future.”
Pedersen is ready for it.
“(Fisher) knows we want her to be an aggressive attacker,” he said. “I think next year she’s going to come out right away and just make (the team) hers.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
