May 20, 2024
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Girls basketball: Crystal Lake Central tops crosstown rival Prairie Ridge in FVC action

Katie Hamill’s 20 points, Leah Spychala’s 15 points, 12 rebounds lead Tigers to 48-26 win over Wolves

By Alex Kantecki
Crystal Lake Central’s Kathryn Hamill, left, and Leah Spychala, right, battle Prairie Ridge’s Addison Meyer, center, in varsity girls basketball at Crystal Lake Central Tuesday.

Crystal Lake Central’s Katie Hamill (Hamill) and Leah Spychala (right) battle Prairie Ridge’s Addie Meyer on Tuesday at Crystal Lake Central High School. (Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local/Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local)

CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake Central senior guard Katie Hamill and junior forward Leah Spychala are best friends off the court.

Their connection on the court is pretty strong, too.

On Tuesday, the Tigers’ duo combined to outscore crosstown rival Prairie Ridge for a 48-26 win in their Fox Valley Conference game at Central’s fieldhouse.

Hamill, last year’s Northwest Herald Girls Basketball Player of the Year, scored a game-high 20 points and hit four 3-pointers, shooting 7 of 11 from the field, while Spychala found her groove in the second half and finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Central outscored Prairie Ridge 26-13 in the second half.

“She’s literally one of my best friends, and I love playing with her,” Hamill said of Spychala. “She brings a ton of energy and has definitely come out of her shell this season. Anytime we make a big play, I love screaming with her.

“She brings out the best in everyone.”

Crystal Lake Central’s Leah Spychala works the ball around Prairie Ridge’s Grace Wolf in varsity girls basketball at Crystal Lake Central Tuesday.

Crystal Lake Central’s Leah Spychala works the ball around Prairie Ridge’s Grace Wolf in varsity girls basketball at Crystal Lake Central Tuesday. (Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local/Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local)

Central (3-5, 2-1 FVC) led the entire way against Prairie Ridge (3-5, 1-2) and started to pull away with an 11-3 run to end the first half.

Central led 11-10 with 5:15 remaining in the second quarter and allowed one field goal by the Wolves the rest of the first half. Hamill made two 3s to close out the first half, and senior Ella Madalinski (eight points, two 3s) had another.

Tigers coach Derek Crabill felt the Tigers responded well after a slow start. Both teams were stuck on four points with 2:25 left in the first quarter.

“We had a little bit of a rough start to the game,” Crabill said. “We were just going too fast offensively. We weren’t getting the looks we were hoping for. In that second quarter, we settled in and things got a lot better, and the start of the second half was even better.”

Spychala scored 12 of her 15 points in the second half, including the first five points of the third quarter to give Central a 27-15 lead.

Crabill said Spychala, who is 6-foot-1, has shown lots of growth since the end of last season. She also helped hold Prairie Ridge leading scorer Addie Meyer to seven points.

“She’s huge for us. When you can make teams play both inside and out, that helps things a lot,” Crabill said. “Leah’s done a nice job of continuing to improve her footwork and her strength around the basket. She’s been super huge on a defensive [standpoint] and from a rebounding standpoint, too. She’s doing a real nice job on the inside for us.

“She didn’t show it as much tonight, but she continues to improve her range, too.”

Crystal Lake Central’s Ella Madalinski, left, moves the ball as Prairie Ridge’s Zoe Nanos defends in varsity girls basketball at Crystal Lake Central Tuesday.

Crystal Lake Central’s Ella Madalinski, left, moves the ball as Prairie Ridge’s Zoe Nanos defends in varsity girls basketball at Crystal Lake Central Tuesday. (Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local/Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local)

Prairie Ridge coach Tim Taege felt the Wolves struggled against the different defensive looks and pressure from Central.

“We just weren’t very disciplined,” Taege said. “They do a nice job of mixing things up, and I think that’s where we run into a problem, just recognizing what they’re trying to do and handling the pressure. We start to think a little bit too much and we can’t execute.

“We need to play with better vision, better clarity, poise and confidence, and I think that’s what slipped tonight.”

Meyer finished with seven points and 15 rebounds for Prairie Ridge, Zoe Nanos added eight points and two 3s, and Addison Taege tossed in six points and a 3. The Wolves were held to single-digit points in all four quarters.

Central started the year with four straight losses at the Buffalo Grove Bison Classic (Barrington, Hersey, Maine South, Grayslake Central) but has won three of its past four.

Spychala thinks the Tigers still have lots of room for growth.

“We’re really happy with how we’ve started and responded,” Spychala said. “Off the court, we’re having so much fun, and I think that’s really helping us on the court. ... We have all our chemistry back from last year.”