Libertyville junior center Madison Sears learned the importance of toughness from her family.
Her father, Marc, one of several standout athletes in the family, was a lineman for Libertyville and Western Michigan. Madison Sears leaned on his advice during the physical Class 4A Grant Regional final against Warren on Thursday.
“My dad taught me to keep your composure and stay classy with it,” she said. “My dad also tells me to stay big and go to the basket.”
Those words proved to be useful in the fourth game of the season between the North Suburban Conference rivals, especially in the paint. Libertyville senior forward Maddy Kopala sat out nearly the entire second quarter after taking an errant elbow in her face.
“It was a physical game,” Sears said. “They were very physical and played tough defense. You have to play big and rely on your teammates.”
The 6-foot-2 Sears did her part on both ends of the court, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rounds, in the top-seeded Wildcats’ 61-29 win against the fourth-seeded Blue Devils in Fox Lake.
The Rule twins helped turn the game into a rout with their perimeter shooting. Rachel Rule hit three 3-pointers and finished with 15 points for Libertyville (28-5), which beat Warren for the fourth time and advances to play third-seeded Rockford Guilford in the McHenry Sectional semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Kate Rule hit two 3-pointers and also scored 15 points.
Senior center Nari Powers had seven points and five rebounds for the Blue Devils (17-13).
Warren coach John Stanczykiewicz said Sears’ movement forced his frontcourt players to leave the paint, opening up the floor for Libertyville’s guards.
“Sears sets good screens up top,” Stanczykiewicz said. “She’s such a big body to get around. On the roll, she’s hard to get around. Our kids were complaining about that all game.”
Sears was a reserve last season, when the Wildcats won conference and regional titles. She said she maintained a positive attitude and benefited from playing with talented teammates, particularly Emily Fisher, who is a freshman at Maryland.
“We had a great team last year,” Sears said. “I learned you have to persevere. Not starting doesn’t matter. You have to get in when you can and play good when you can.
“I just tried to work hard and to keep getting better. You have to work to get better. Who cares about last season? Who cares about what happened? Just focus on getting better every day.”
Sears showed her perseverance against Warren with putbacks in traffic. She also made perimeter shots from the baseline, an area of improvement since last season.
“My outside shot is better, definitely my 15-foot shot,” she said. “I love that shot from the corner. I practice that a lot. As a post, you have to keep moving, and it’s open a lot.”
Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen said Sears’ transformation into a multilevel scorer has strengthened the team.
“We don’t get to where we are this year without Madison, for sure,” Pedersen said. “She has evolved into an offensive threat. She’s a solid presence on defense, just takes up that middle. She’s a difference-maker in our season.
“Once she knew we all wanted her to shoot the ball, all of a sudden these 15-footers are swishing, and she’s inside commanding the ball and is a good finisher.”
Libertyville sophomore forward Avery Maddux said Sears’ size and strength have helped speed up her development too. They go head-to-head during practices.
“She’s a very big competitor, always has a big body on me and always puts 100% effort in everything she does,” Maddux said. “She’s a very tough player to go against. She’s taught me to use my size. I’m 2 inches shorter than her. I love practicing against her. She helps me grow.”
The Sears name is well known in Libertyville sports. Sears’ aunt Tami was a star basketball player at Libertyville and Northwestern, and Sears’ older brother Josh was an offensive lineman for the Wildcats. Madison Sears wants to play in college too.
“It’s in my blood,” she said.
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
