McHenry girls basketball coach Rob Niemic sees a lot of the same qualities in junior forward Katie Beyer that he did in Liz Alsot, a 2018 McHenry graduate and current sophomore at NCAA Division II Indianapolis.

Niemic often called Alsot, who finished her high school career with more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, one of the toughest players, girls or boys, that he's ever coached. It's no coincidence that Beyer has followed in a similar path.

"I think the best thing for Katie is, when she was younger, she got her butt kicked by Liz," Niemic said. "She was a freshman and got beat up every day. That's made her a [heck] of a lot tougher."

After a strong sophomore season, Beyer has taken her game to the next level as a junior. Through 11 games, the 6-foot-1 Beyer is averaging 18 points and 11.5 rebounds a game, along with 14 total blocks.

Beyer had 20 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in a 49-29 win over Marengo on Monday at the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic. The win puts the Warriors (10-1) into the championship bracket semifinals. Marian Central plays DeKalb in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday; McHenry plays Wauconda at 6:30 p.m.

Beyer has grown 3 inches since last year, and Niemic has seen growth in many areas of her game. Beyer finished with 14 3-pointers in 32 games as a sophomore. She has 11 in 11 games so far this season.

"Her skills have come a long way," Niemic said. "Katie’s got more of an outside game than Liz. She's really worked on her shooting. We're just really excited to have her for another 40 or 50 games [over this season and next]. She's going to play college basketball; it’s just a matter of where."

Niemic said Beyer has even more room to grow.

"She keeps getting better. She works and works and works. If you get on her, she doesn’t take it personally. She knows it’s about basketball and me wanting her to get to another level, because she’s got so many."

Turning it around: After consistently finishing near the top of the Fox Valley Conference, including back-to-back seasons with more than 20 wins in 2014-15 and 2015-16, Crystal Lake South has finished with a record under .500 in each of the past three seasons. In each of the past two, the Gators have won only seven games.

With a 6-5 start already, the Gators can match their win total of the past two seasons with their next win. South won its first three FVC games before losing to Huntley last week and is tied for second place at 3-1.

Gaining varsity experience has been a key to his team's fast start, sixth-year South coach Mark Mucha said.

"This group has a lot of experience," Mucha said. "A lot of these kids came back from last year, and I think they're finally realizing what it takes to win basketball games. Whether we've been up or we've been down, they're working hard, they're not quitting, and they're not getting down on themselves."

South almost completed a comeback against Huntley last week, erasing a nine-point deficit with 3:30 left. Senior Kyra Swartz hit two big 3s in the final 30 seconds, and South gave itself a last shot after forcing a turnover, but Emily Rich's last-second 3-point attempt was off the mark.

"I told the kids in the locker room, this is good for us," Mucha said. "This is Fox Valley Conference basketball. I think we're kind of getting our toes wet now. We're going to see Huntley again, we're going face Dundee-Crown, and it's not going to get any easier. We just have to take advantage of our opportunities."

Unexpected loss: Marengo has been playing without junior Kierra Morris for about a week because of concussion symptoms. Indians coach Nick Rode is hoping the 5-foot-11 Morris can return this weekend at the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic.

Senior forward Jordan Parker, however, won't be coming back. The four-year varsity player recently stepped away from the team to focus on her track and field commitment to NCAA D-II Drury University. Rode said Parker left to pursue scholarship incentives.

Parker has played a key role in the program's recent success, which includes back-to-back regional titles and 20-win seasons, and sharing the Kishwaukee River Conference title last season with Burlington Central.

Parker averaged 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds a game as a junior and earned All-KRC honors for the second straight season.

NORTHWEST HERALD POWER RANKINGS

1. Dundee-Crown (8-0): The Chargers have won their first eight games, including wins over Huntley, Prairie Ridge, Burlington Central and Cary-Grove. Junior Gianine Boado, a three-year starting guard, is being evaluated for a knee injury suffered in a 56-44 win over Burlington Central.

2. McHenry (10-1): The Warriors have won six in a row and swept pool play at the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic, winning by an average margin of 34 points. McHenry is one of four FVC teams with a 3-1 record (Burlington Central, Hampshire, Crystal Lake South), a game behind D-C for first place.

3. Hampshire (7-5): The defending FVC champs went 2-2 last week, beating Jacobs and Crystal Lake Central, and losing to Lake Zurich and Sycamore. Junior forward Kelby Bannerman continues to put up huge numbers, throwing in 23 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks in a 55-49 loss to Sycamore.

4. Huntley (5-4): The Red Raiders fell to McHenry and beat Crystal Lake South and Jacobs. Kamsi Nwogu (16 points) and Raquel Radermacher (10) each scored in double figures Monday in a 41-27 win over Jacobs.

5. Crystal Lake South (6-5): The Gators finished 2-2 last week and suffered their first FVC loss, against Huntley, 42-40. South went 2-1 in pool play at the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic, beating Johnsburg and Hoffman Estates and losing to Wauconda.

WHAT TO WATCH

Dundee-Crown at McHenry, 7 p.m. Wednesday: The Chargers and Warriors are two of the top contenders in the 10-team FVC. A loss for the Warriors would leave them two games behind D-C.

Crystal Lake South at Burlington Central, 7 p.m. Wednesday: The Gators have been one of the bigger surprises in the FVC so far and get their first look at the Rockets. Both teams are 3-1 in conference play and tied for second.

Northern Illinois Holiday Classic, Friday and Saturday: Marian Central plays DeKalb and McHenry plays Wauconda in the championship bracket semifinals Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday's final at 1:30 p.m.