Scouts fall to LZ in regional final

GAMER: LZ 42, LF 31

Lake Forest’s Audrey Kaus tries to maintain her balance during action in the regional final at Grayslake North. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER

Maeve Summerville of the Scouts cheers from bench. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER

Maeve made an appearance in the postseason.

Unfortunately, it was only in the three-point shooting contest.

Lake Forest High School’s girls basketball team was holding out hope that senior star Maeve Summerville would be cleared to play “in live action” at the Class 4A Grayslake North Regional.

But Summerville, who has been sidelined all season by an ACL injury, had to watch from the bench — once again — as her teammates dropped a 42-31 decision to Lake Zurich in the title game on Feb. 16.

To their credit, the Maeve Summerville-less Scouts went over the 20-win mark for the second year in a row. After going 23-10 and winning a regional title last year, they ended up 22-10 this winter.

“This group of players definitely has raised the bar,” said LF head coach Kyle Wilhelm. “Gone are the days of us not competing for a regional title.”

Interestingly enough, Summerville, who will play her college basketball at DePauw University, extended her season in the Queen of the Hill state-wide competition. She hit six threes — and won a tiebreaker — to advance to the next round of the COUNTRY Financial Three-Point Showdown.

Just think of what might have been for the 6-foot-1 Summerville, who broke LF’s all-time rebounding record last season.

“It’s pretty tough to lose a player of her caliber,” said Wilhelm. “She was on pace for 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

“She’s put a lot into basketball,” the coach added. “I feel bad for her.”

Likewise, the Scouts put a lot into their effort against LZ.

Sparked by Ellie Pearson’s three-point play, Lake Forest trailed by just two points, 28-26, with 4:35 left in the fourth quarter.

But give LZ credit. Highlighted by McKenna Zobel (17 points) and Maddy Piggott (12 points), the Bears were terrific down the stretch. They scored 16 points on their final eight possessions of the game.

“They closed out the game well,” said Wilhelm.

The Bears also turned in a rugged defensive effort.

“They made every possession a battle,” Wilhelm said. “They make you work so hard. Every shot we took was a tough shot.”

Pearson’s performance was a bright spot. The junior center tallied a team-high 16 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, to go along with five rebounds.

“Ellie’s had a tremendous season,” said Wilhelm. “She battles hard in the post.”

The other statistical leaders for LF included Grace Tirzmalis (7 points, 5 rebounds) and Halle Douglass (5 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks).

In LF’s 61-24 win over host Grayslake North in the semifinal round on Feb. 14, Tirzmalis led the way with 21 points.