By Bobby Narang
The high school girls basketball season is ready to hit the one-month mark. So far, the season has included the typical ups and downs for teams. Benet Academy, which won seven of its first eight games, is one of the top teams to watch.
Led by a Morgan Demos and Lenee Beaumont, the Redwings are set to be one of the challengers for the Class 4A State championship.
“I think we’ve made good progress, but we’ve got a ways to go, especially in terms of consistency,” Benet head coach Joe Kilbride said. “We have to continue to build on where we’re at, but mostly get more consistent.
“We’ve got a great point guard and a center in Beaumont and Demos, so that’s what every coach loves having. The kids have bought in, and we’re working hard day in and day. It’s still early, but we’ve got great pieces. Margaret Temple is another great piece. We’ve been very happy with Sam Trimberger. This is her first really varsity experience. Olympia Kokkines is playing well, and we got Maggie and Emilia Sularski back. They’re going to be good pieces and Emma Webb. We do really have a lot of pieces. That’s helped us with our inconsistency to play in the jigsaw puzzle.”
• Naperville North is picking up right where it left off in the Spring, even with McDonald’s All-America Greta Kampschroeder at Oregon State. That’s because the Huskies picked up transfer, Kenzie Hare, from Bartlett. The Saint Louis recruit is one of the top scorers in the State after compiling 1,838 points in her first three years. She averaged 30.1 points in the shortened junior season, and racked up 41 points in Monday’s 75-59 victory over Batavia.
“We’ve been playing well as a team, and been playing fast,” Hare said. “We’ve also been working together and able to get good shots. We have 12 girls on the team who can make a play. My teammates are great passers, and like to get the ball to me in good spots. I’m excited to see what will happen for the rest of the season. We just beat a great Barrington team. Everyone’s been super welcoming to me, so it’s been an easy transition so far.”
• Meanwhile, Batavia’s been riding the inside-outside duo of sophomore point guard Brooke Carlson and senior center Tessa Towers. Carlson is averaging 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.6 steals per game, while Towers is averaging 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. Towers scored 29 points in Monday’s loss to Naperville North.
“Me and Brooke have formed a good point guard-center team,” Towers said. “We’ve been missing that for a long time. We work well together, and we have a very good team. We’re excited about the rest of the season.”
• At West Aurora, Mia Moore is making a name. She scored a career-high 43 points in a 62-43 victory over Plainfield East. Moore averaged 23.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and five steals through the first five games after transferring from Oswego.