Waukegan and Highland Park move up, Grayslake North debuts, and Carmel’s Liv Johnson is the player of the week.
TOP 10
With records through Monday and previous rankings in parentheses.
1. Carmel 15-5 (1)
Josie Hartman and Maliyah Mays are tenacious on defense for the Corsairs, who will play Class 4A power Benet on Wednesday.
2. Libertyville 14-3 (2)
Ella Pawelczyk scores 32 points with a program-record 10 3-pointers in the North Suburban Conference leader’s win over Waukegan.
3. Lake Zurich 11-7 (3)
Lexie Kahle earns valuable minutes off the bench for the Bears with her solid defense and improved jump shot.
4. Wauconda 16-0 (4)
Alexia Manalo is the glue holding it all together for the Northern Lake County Conference leader, which is coming off a rare win over Grayslake Central.
5. Mundelein 13-7 (5)
Grace Dunigan is stepping up for the Mustangs, attacking the glass and the basket.
6. Vernon Hills 14-4 (6)
Keira Thomas‘ scoring, defense and rebounding are a big part of the Cougars’ success.
7. Waukegan 12-7 (8)
Freshman Mireya Rodriguez is a spark off the Bulldogs’ bench with timely baskets and reliable ballhandling.
8. Grayslake Central 9-8 (7)
Autumn Aliff is earning quality minutes for the Rams with her strong defense, but she has also excelled on the offensive end in recent weeks.
9. Highland Park 8-6 (10)
Emily Calub, who leads the Giants’ defensive effort, scores 24 points in a pair of Central Suburban North wins.
10. Grayslake North 8-12 (NR)
Lucy Roscoe and Ashlyn Stoneham combine to average 27.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 4.2 steals as the Knights win six of eight.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Carmel freshman guard Liv Johnson averages 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 deflections and shoots 46.7% on 3-point attempts over three games.
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.