Grayslake Central’s Annie Wolff is difficult to pigeonhole as a basketball player.
Like a chameleon, the 5-foot-6 senior has the uncanny ability to adapt to any opponent, game situation or even time of year.
“If they need me to be a big, I’ll be a big, and if they need me to help navigate the offense so I can help my teammates get some shots, I’ll do that too,” Wolff said. “I’m going to do whatever we need to do in that game to make sure we’re successful.”
The top-seeded Rams needed a scoring spark against fourth-seeded St. Viator during their Class 3A North Chicago sectional semifinal on Tuesday, and Wolff provided it. She scored 14 points in the second half as Grayslake Central rallied to win 52-43.
The Rams (27-5), who have won 11 games in a row and will play second-seeded Cary-Grove (25-7) in the sectional championship game at 6 p.m. Thursday, let a 10-point first-quarter advantage slip away as the Lions (20-14) took a 23-20 halftime lead. But Wolff scored all eight of the Rams’ points during a two-minute span in which they went ahead 29-26 in the third quarter, and she added six points in the fourth quarter.
“What’s good about our team is that anybody can do that,” Wolff said. “Anybody can come out of the half and spark us. That was me today, but that was because my teammates found me.
“Once I started making layups, I started feeling good, and I kept pushing, kept pushing, and they were able to find me.”
Wolff’s varsity experience over the better part of four seasons has prepared her for that. Once a wide-eyed freshman, she has become an irreplaceable senior co-captain who was averaging 11.1 points and 4.7 rebounds before Tuesday.
“She’s a phenomenal athlete and gives us a calming sense,” senior forward and co-captain Madison Hoffmann said. “Her energy all game is something. If I ever get down, she’s right there to pick me back up, and she’s like that with all of our teammates.”
Going full throttle, Wolff sets the tone for the Rams.
“She’s the heart and soul of the team,” Grayslake Central coach Steve Ikenn said. “She just gives everything she’s got. I teach statistics, so I know that you can’t actually go 110%, but if anybody does, it’s her. She never gives less than her all.”
Wolff’s formula has led to a prolific career. She surpassed 1,000 career points during the Rams’ Northern Lake County Conference game against Grant on Feb. 5.
“I thought about that as a goal a little bit as a freshman and thought, ‘That’s going to be kind of hard to do,’” Wolff said. “Once I got into my rhythm of becoming a scorer, I thought, ‘Wait, that’s something I can do.’ It’s a testament to how well my teammates and I work together and how we’re on the same page. But it is pretty exciting.”
Perhaps less exciting, but no less important, is the fact that Wolff has become almost positionless on defense. She can guard opponents’ perimeter players, post players or anyone in between.
“She seriously can fill any position 1-5, and I think that’s really a valuable asset to the team,” Hoffmann said. “She definitely holds her own. She’s really strong. We can put her against anyone and I’m going to feel confident.”
Wolff’s work inside is especially appreciated by the Rams. She tussled with 5-foot-11 junior forward Catherine Adamski several times Tuesday. But that didn’t faze Wolff, who is also a standout softball player.
“She had some height on me and was strong, but I was also able to be physical,” she said. “People might think, ‘Oh, she’s kind of small — but she’s moving me around.’ It gives them a different look, and it gets them off their game too. I like being pesky and playing as a big player in a small body.”
And she’s making a big impact. Grayslake Central won its third sectional title under Ikenn last season, joining teams in 2011 and 2020, and are a win away from a rare repeat.
“This is something that not a lot of teams get to do, but we have to take it one game at a time,” Wolff said. “Our goal is to have as many one-game win streaks as possible. Because of how we all come together, it’s amazing to be on this team.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
