Libertyville senior guard Elinor Lindal has come a long way as a basketball player.
Progress has been steady and intentional for the 5-foot-9 Lindal, who first made her mark as a defender.
“When I was little, I didn’t even know how to shoot,” she said. “I just liked to try to steal the ball from people. But because I wanted to play a lot, there was a lot of work on offense.
“I love this sport, and I knew I needed to be a threat on both ends.”
Lindal accomplished that one more time in her final game in a Libertyville uniform. She scored 12 points and slowed down Kent State commit Anna Campanelli during the Wildcats’ 63-50 loss to host Huntley in a Class 4A sectional championship game on Thursday.
Lindal made Campanelli work hard for her 14 points. But the North Suburban Conference champion Wildcats (28-6) couldn’t account for the red-hot shooting from long distance by the Red Raiders (35-0), who hit 11 3-pointers, including seven in the first half.
“She’s the one who’s got to try to stop their best offensive player, and at halftime that girl (Campanelli) had one bucket,” Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen said of Lindal. “We ask her to do that every night, and she does it with such energy and conviction. It usually works out pretty well.”
That level of assuredness from her coach represents a win for Lindal and for the program. She was first promoted to the varsity team midway through her sophomore season and made incremental strides since then.
“They mainly brought me up because of my defense, so I would go in if people were in foul trouble and give a couple of minutes,” Lindal said. “Defense was always my thing. I just loved defense — the idea of going one on one, girls trying to get past me to the basket — and that’s how I played.”
Lindal moved up in the rotation last season, and she had one of her best games during the Wildcats’ win against Hononegah in their 2024 sectional championship game.
Lindal elevated her game even more this season. She worked with her older sister Alex Haley, an skills trainer who played at Minot State and Lindenwood before going oversees for pro ball in Great Britain.
Lindal remains Libertyville’s unabashed defensive stopper. But she is also the team’s second-leading scorer behind sophomore guard Lily Fisher, who had a team-high 17 points against Huntley before exiting in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.
“On offense, I started out as more of an attacker and slasher,” Lindal said. “I worked on my midrange game a lot, too, because I have a height disadvantage sometimes and usually taller girls match up with me. So it’s nice to have a little jumper I can use instead of layups where I’m worried that they might get blocked.”
Lindal manufactured points in different ways against Huntley. She made an early 3-pointer, scored on a putback and hit several short jumpers.
All while trying to stop Campanelli.
“I don’t know how she has all that energy to go up and down the floor,” Libertyville senior guard Sophia Cesnovar said of Lindal. “She was always the fastest player on the court even in elementary and middle school. She was just zipping around the court. I would not want to be guarded by her.”
That Lindal-level intensity lasted until her final seconds on the court. She fouled out late in the fourth quarter. After reaching the sideline, she couldn’t bear to watch.
“I was just disappointed because I knew it was over at that point,” Lindal said. “It is bittersweet because I thought we could have made it all the way, but sometimes things don’t go your way. But I’m so proud of how far we’ve been able to come.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
