Girls Basketball notes: After growth spurt, Illinois soccer recruit Izzy Lee plays big in post for Lyons

Lions’ senior has twice set career highs this month; Eleanor Monyek on tear for Hinsdale C.

When Izzy Lee told people a few years ago she was not done growing, she said she was laughed at.

It appears Lee’s had the last laugh.

Lyons Township’s basketball team, in fact, is all smiles with what a reinvented Lee has meant for its team. Sprouting close to eight inches in a three-month period from her sophomore to junior year, Lee went from a 5-foot-3 guard to a 6-foot post.

Lee, also a standout soccer goalkeeper who will play collegiately in that sport at Illinois, is now the leading scorer and rebounder for an 18-3 Lions’ team that is leading the West Suburban Silver, and poised for a deep playoff run.

Lyons coach Meghan Hutchens, who had a similar growth spurt in high school, still recalls the sight of seeing the taller Lee for the first time.

“I saw her when she left summer basketball, she sprouted up and I said ‘what happened to you?” Hutchens reflected. “As a sophomore she was really short. She sprouted up out of nowhere. I remember her before specifically guarding someone on the wing, and she was so tiny, 5-foot-3. Now she’s our tallest player.”

Hutchens perhaps shouldn’t have been too surprised at Lee’s late growth. She said Lee always had big feet for a kid her size at youth camps. Lee’s mom, a gymnast, didn’t grow until college, and got to 5-8. Her dad, who went to Illinois for track and field, is 6-4.

Lee admitted it took time to grow into her new frame.

“It was definitely hard for a little bit, trying to get used to being that tall and not being on the outside, especially because our team is a bit shorter,” said Lee, who is averaging 12.5 points and 8 rebounds. “Me being one of the taller girls, I had to step up and play the post, and I wasn’t used to it. I was used to driving. Midway through this season I started to figure out my role and figured out a way to make it work.”

She’s indeed figured it out. Lee scored a career-high 24 points against York Jan. 11, and bested that four days later with 26 points in a win over Proviso West. On Monday, against 6-foot-4 Wisconsin recruit Tessa Towers of Batavia, Lee more than held her own with 10 points and four rebounds in Lyons’ come-from-behind win.

“She has really got better with her back to the basket,” Hutchens said. “She had always played guard until the last two seasons. To see her accept that role as a [center], she’d never played with her back to the basket before and to see how she has grown, I’m really proud of her.”

Lee’s presence is key, in particular, for a balanced Lyons’ team that is not lacking in talent but is very guard-heavy. Goofy off the court, she has a competitive fire that burns hot in whatever sport she plays. Lee allowed just four goals in the spring for a Class 3A state runner-up soccer team, and didn’t back down Monday against the bigger Towers with several strong finishes.

“There is no one that likes to win more than she does, and she does it in a respectful manner,” Hutchens said. “She has a competitiveness and a will to do whatever she can in her power to help us have success. It’s significant that her hands are good, she can catch passes, athletically get to those and secure and finish. It’s impressive in taking on a strong post.”

Eleanor Monyek on a tear for resilient Hinsdale Central

Hinsdale Central pulled itself back up to .500 with wins at the DeKalb MLK Tournament over the weekend, which is impressive when considering the Red Devils had to reinvent themselves a bit on the fly this season.

The second week of the season Hinsdale Central lost junior point guard Angie Conley to a torn labrum. The very next game, senior all-conference shooting guard Lanie Randle went down with an ACL injury.

“I returned all my starters from last year, but in back-to-back games I lost two of them,” Hinsdale Central coach Karen Persinger said. “We had to change gears. The girls have been really resilient. We had those two early-season injuries that changed the complexion of the season. I really feel like now we are starting to find our identity.”

At the center of it all is senior post Eleanor Monyek.

Monyek has averaged 20 points per game over Hinsdale Central’s last five games, and on Saturday scored a career-high 26 points in a 9 a.m. game. She’s averaging 16.7 points on the season. Tessa Howe and Lily Sarros, like Randle and Monyek starters since they were sophomores, are averaging 10 points and 9.5 points, respectively.

“Eleanor has really found another gear in January with her level of play,” Persinger said. “I feel like she’s a hidden gem in the conference.”

Monyek has been an inside post presence since she started on varsity, but her game has grown with the ability to step out and hit jump shots. She’s become a 3-point threat and can create for herself and teammates. Monyek also scored 21 points this month in a loss to Lyons.

“I used to sit in the post, make a few moves, but now I have extended myself further on the perimeter,” Monyek said. “I’ve become a triple threat, and that’s something I always wanted to be.”

Monyek said it’s a close group of girls who have been playing together since the fourth or fifth grade, are eager to reestablish Hinsdale Central’s proud basketball tradition and always had good chemistry – which became especially important when injuries hit. Junior Amelia McLaughlin has stepped in to fill the off guard role and sophomore Luella Sheehan was moved up to varsity to play the point.

“It allowed me to keep Tessa more in that three role; she’s a great slashing scorer,” Persinger said. “It’s been really cool to watch the kids grow in different ways than we anticipated.”

Benet on a roll

Benet coach Joe Kilbride had an interesting spin on who he predicts will take home the state championship in March.

“I think whoever wins the state tournament will be the one who has nine of their best kids healthy the last couple weeks,” Kilbride said. “I think everybody is going through this stuff. Kids getting hurt, kids getting COVID. It’s such a balanced year. Right now I feel pretty good about us.”

And well he should.

The Redwings have won five straight games since a loss to Geneva at Christmas, after Wednesday’s 39-35 win over Carmel. Benet beat Fenwick by 31 Saturday, a margin that became even more impressive after Fenwick blew out Hersey Monday. Kilbride said he got starter Sam Trimberger back the day before the Morton tournament, and she now has her legs underneath her.

“She was good on Monday and good against Fenwick,” Kilbride said. “It’s funny, somebody whacked Geneva, then Geneva beats us, Fremd won the Morton tournament, but was beat by teams they should not have lost to, Bolingbrook has lost to some teams. We beat Kenwood, Naperville North beat Whitney Young. I think there are a bunch of teams in the conversation, including us. I think we have as good of a chance at anybody, but nobody is shaking in their boots to play us.”

Benet, which has a huge East Suburban Catholic Conference game Monday at home against Nazareth, will first be in Geneseo Saturday for the Quad Cities/Chicagoland Shootout. The Redwings will play Rock Island.

Eaton’s 300th win

Wheaton North’s 44-42 win over Mother McAuley at the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest marked the 300th career win for Falcons’ head coach Dave Eaton, now in his 18th season.

Joshua  Welge

Joshua Welge

I am the Sports Editor for Kendall County Newspapers, the Kane County Chronicle and Suburban Life Media, covering primarily sports in Kendall, Kane, DuPage and western Cook counties. I've been covering high school sports for 24 years. I also assist with our news coverage.