Junior Kendall Wald, who is in her third season with the Mundelein girls basketball team, is known for her three-point shooting.
Wald sank three first-half threes during the Mustangs’ 43-33 North Suburban Lake loss to Zion-Benton on Saturday, Jan. 9. But on that night, her tenacious effort in the lane stood out just as much.
During one sequence early in the third quarter, she ripped a rebound away from two Zee-Bee defenders, then whipped a pass outside to senior Madison Davis, who finished with a basket. Wald, who had six rebounds (three offensive), was also in the middle of several loose-ball scrums, routinely diving to the floor and showing the kind of persistent effort first-year Mustangs coach Martin Pazanin loves.
“Kendall’s confidence has really improved throughout the season,” Pazanin said. “I’ve known since I first got here she shoots the ball with confidence, obviously. But you’re starting to see other aspects of her game evolve. One of her biggest strengths is her basketball IQ. And when you pair that with the kind of effort she’s been giving, it makes everyone around her better.”
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Wald credited the drills the Mustangs conduct in practice with helping to improve her rebounding.
“We spend a ton of time working on rebounding in practice,” Wald said. “And I mean a ton. There are four different drills we do, and I’d say we probably spend an hour or more every practice on boxing out and rebounding. We watch a lot of film on each team too.”
All that preparation has affected her teammates as well. The Mustangs outrebounded Zion-Benton 31-23, despite having no players taller than 6 feet listed on their roster. Seniors Caity Pieklo (seven rebounds), Madison Davis (six rebounds) and Amy Richards (five rebounds) are three others who’ve shined underneath the basket.
“Even though we lost, I have to give our girls credit,” Pazanin said. “This was literally the first time all season we’ve used a zone defense, because we knew we had to find a way to slow down Zion’s athleticism. We’re used to using man-to-man defense against everyone we’ve played. Tonight, our girls had to rebound a specific area rather than just crashing the boards against one individual player.
“We’ve actually outrebounded our last several opponents, including during our 48-29 win against Lakes the game before this. We just need to cut down on the turnovers. We’re giving teams way too many extra possessions.”
Richards, a fourth-year varsity player, said she enjoys both man and zone defenses.
“I don’t really have a preference,” Richards said. “When we play man-to-man, it’s fun because I get to show what I can do against one specific person and I have to outwork them. With zone, the emphasis is more on the perimeter, closing out on shooters, and keeping the ball outside.”
After the game, the Mustangs held a pizza party for a large group of Mundelein middle and junior high school students.
“It’s important for our girls to develop a connection with the younger basketball players and fans in our community,” Pazanin said. “It’s a chance for us to give back, and it allows our players to build relationships with the kids who are in our feeder programs. It’s a fun time for everyone.”
Zion-Benton (13-5, 5-1) got a team-high 14 points off the bench from junior Ni Short. Richards led the Mustangs (5-14, 1-5) with 12 points.
Tim Froehlig is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @TFroehlig