Highland Park and Stevenson rise in the rankings, and Carmel’s Josie Hartman is the player of the week.
TOP 10
With records through Sunday and previous rankings in parentheses.
1. Libertyville 15-4 (1)
KateRyan Castro, a strong defender, is starting to look more comfortable on offense, scoring 15 points in the Wildcats’ North Suburban Conference win against Zion-Benton.
2. Lake Zurich 12-6 (2)
Kaitlin Wahlund is playing well in an expanded role, scoring 10 points in the Bears’ NSC win against Zion-Benton and hitting a key 3-pointer in their NSC win against Mundelein.
3. Grayslake Central 14-4 (3)
Katelyn Marcelain records 15 points and 13 rebounds in the Rams’ Northern Lake County Conference win against Grant, then makes four steals in their NLCC win against Wauconda.
4. Highland Park 10-4 (5)
Kourtnie Halperin, averaging a team-high 4.0 assists, scores 18 points in the Giants’ Central Suburban North win against Maine West.
5. Wauconda 12-2 (4)
Sarah Palmer totals 24 points on 67% shooting in the Bulldogs’ two games, including their NLCC win against Round Lake.
6. Stevenson 12-7 (8)
Freshman Reese McLelland is coming into her own, hitting key shots and taking care of the basketball for the Patriots.
7. Mundelein 13-8 (6)
Adrianna Lesniak, who has been stepping up on defense, scores nine points in back-to-back games for the Mustangs, including their NSC win against Warren.
8. Waukegan 9-5 (7)
Evelyn Petty makes several timely plays and scores eight points off the bench in the Bulldogs’ NSC win against Lake Forest.
9. Vernon Hills 13-7 (9)
Emily Ochieng anchors the defense and crashes the boards in the Cougars’ two wins, including a Central Suburban North victory against Niles North.
10. Lake Forest 7-10 (10)
Annie Acello posts her first double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Waukegan.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior guard Josie Hartman scores 19 points, making 8 of 8 free throws, and adds two rebounds and two assists during Carmel’s 49-41 loss to Nazareth on Saturday. She has made 39 of 40 from the line in her past five games.
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.