Libertyville's Magical Season Closes

It's safe to say we won't see another team like this for some time to come.

The Libertyville girls basketball team that refused to lose this year finally tasted defeat on Monday night at the Mundelein Sectional.

Zion-Benton, a club that the Wildcats had beaten three times this season, avenged those defeats in front of a big crowd. Zion-Benton stopped the Wildcats 43-35.

"It wasn't our night,'' admitted Libertyville coach Kathie Swanson. "We played out of character. We lost our composure and that hasn't been our hallmark."

In a game that the Zee-Bees took a 35-25 lead to the fourth quarter, the Wildcats refused to quit. On a pair of free throws from Savannah Trees (15 points), the Cats pulled within 37-33 with less than two minutes to play.

"We didn't give up,'' Swanson said. "We had a chance until the end."

There were some amazing statistics trotted out after this game. Swanson reported her senior class lost 8 games in high school. The varsity has won 49 out of its last 51 games.

"We didn't have a Division I player,'' Swanson said. "And no tall girls. We set so many records even for boys. We are a team. We didn't care who scored. But I feel really badly for the seniors. This is hard to go through."

It didn't help that leading scorer Trees picked up her fourth foul in the third quarter.

"It was really hard to sit,'' Trees said. "That has happened one or two times. But we have so much to proud of."

The Zee-Bees had success limiting the Libertyville offense to one shot. The Wildcats did not have an offensive rebound until the second half.

However in the fourth quarter, the Libertyville seniors stepped up. Kaca Savatic made a few steals. Olivia Wilcox (7 points) hit a floater in the lane cutting the Zion lead to 37-31. And the clutch Trees finished her career with 6 points in the final quarter.

The Wildcats did get help off the bench from Kerry Risley (4 points) and Eileen Knauff.

Zion-Benton will meet Tuesday's winner of Barrington and Fremd for the sectional crown on Thursday night in Mundelein.

Swanson noted her club wasn't picked by many to win the conference title. But this club became known for its tenacious defense.  On four separate occasions, the Wildcats defense held teams to under 20 points.

"We set a lot of records,'' Trees said. "And back to back conference titles."

The next Libertyville team can start the new  season with regulars Alex Haley and Nicole Kruckman. Also expected back are Jackie Hansen, Molly Moon, Risley and Knauff.