Last season was the first time Crystal Lake South sisters Laken and Gracey LePage shared the same high school basketball court.

But an ACL injury that Gracey suffered at a soccer showcase tournament in early December wiped out her sophomore season five games after it started. It was a big blow to the Gators, who relied on Gracey’s infectious energy and defensive intensity.

It also brought back a familiar feeling for the LePages.

The year before, Laken, one of McHenry County’s top scorers as a freshman, tore her ACL, ending her sophomore season before it started.

Laken, now a senior, and Gracey, a junior, have been in good health and spirits this season – their last together before Laken starts her collegiate career at St. Xavier University.

Gracey, a Michigan State soccer commit, isn’t taking her final season with her big sis for granted.

“It means a lot. I can get emotional right now, but we have a chemistry like no other,” Gracey said after the Gators beat four-time defending Fox Valley Conference champion Huntley last month. “We want to win for each other, and we battle for each other. We can get feisty with each other, but this season really does mean everything. We put it all on the floor. We just want to win.”

Laken LePage returned from ACL surgery a year ago and put together a big junior season, earning Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 3A All-State special mention and averaging 15.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 steals a game with 61 3-pointers.

With Laken back and guiding South’s offense, along with the addition of standout freshman Gaby Dzik (13.5 ppg), the Gators improved by 14 wins after finishing 3-25 in 2023-24.

Still, the absence of Gracey was felt team-wide.

“I was heartbroken, and our team even struggled right after,” Laken said. “Our team was on such a high, and when that happened, everything kind of fell apart for a little bit. A lot of games didn’t go our way. ... We were struggling with her not being there, her energy.

“We’re so happy that she’s back.”

South (9-3, 3-1 FVC) enters the new year among the top three teams in the 10-team FVC, trailing only Burlington Central (4-0 FVC) and Huntley (4-1). Huntley has played one more conference game than South, but lost to the Gators 47-45 already. South lost to Central 56-45 in its next game for its lone FVC loss so far.

Laken LePage and Dzik lead the Gators in scoring, while Gracey LePage and juniors Makena Cleary and Tessa Melhuish, both returning starters from last year, have all been integral to the team’s hot start.

Laken and Gracey LePage have also enjoyed having their mom, Marisa, a record-setting basketball player at Northern Michigan, where she resides in the Hall of Fame, on the bench this season as an assistant under head coach Mark Mucha.

The LePages’ passion is on full display every play.

“We love to provide energy,” Laken said of playing with Gracey. “It’s very fun, it’s just awesome. It’s a dream playing with her.”

Komaromy Classic standouts: Huntley’s Aubrina Adamik and Luca Garlin and Hampshire’s Mikala Amegasse, all seniors, were named to the 42nd Komaromy Classic all-tournament team. The Raiders and Whip-Purs both went 2-2 at the 16-team tourney held at Dundee-Crown. Huntley placed seventh and Hampshire, after losing its first two games, took 13th.

Huntley coach Steve Raethz praised the play of Garlin for her performance over the four games. In the seventh-place game against Mundelein, Garlin was aggressive in attacking the basket, knocking down 9 of 10 free throws on her way to a 17-point performance. She was among the team’s top defenders, as well, often matched up against the other team’s top threat.

“I thought Luca played great all tournament,” Raethz said. “She’s done it all year.”

Rockets make noise: Burlington Central (10-5), led by junior guard Audrey LaFleur, is the lone undefeated FVC team heading into the new year, and the only one to reach 10 wins before January. Central was 12-20 last season.

LaFleur scored a career-high 25 points last week in a 68-59 win over Pecatonica as the Rockets went 2-2 at the Dixon Christmas Tournament. Central fell to Lincoln 58-39 in the silver bracket championship game.

Senior guard Ashley Waslo and junior forward Julia Scheuer have also provided significant contributions for the Rockets, who restart FVC play Tuesday at Cary-Grove.

Johnsburg, Marengo to meet in key KRC battle: Marengo won its sixth Kishwaukee River Conference championship in seven years in 2024-25 and finished a win shy of the program’s third straight 20-win season.

The Indians (8-5, 3-0 KRC) have been the class of the KRC in recent years, but they know Johnsburg (12-0, 4-0), undefeated through 12 games and averaging more than 60 points a game, presents a challenge.

Sophomore twin sisters Summer and Skye Toussaint are averaging a combined 35 points a game for the Skyhawks, who last won a conference title in 2017.

The KRC front-runners meet for their first of two regular-season games at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday at Marengo.

“Johnsburg, I think, is the team to beat,” Marengo coach Elisa Hanson said earlier this year after a KRC-opening win against Woodstock North. “Summer and Skye are just playing unbelievable. And their other pieces, from what we’ve seen so far, their other role players are hitting shots and playing well defensively. I just think they’re so dynamic.

“It’s going to be real tough to beat them. Summer’s outside shot; she can score 30 easily, and it’s not like she has to work very hard. We really have to play some great team basketball and clean up a lot of things on defense, just so we’re ready to go.”