Carmel senior guard Katie Lach picked a perfect opponent to break out of a shooting slump.
Lach and Zion-Benton senior guard Ranya Jamison formed a promising backcourt duo in their first two years together at Carmel, leading the Corsairs to a pair of Class 3A regional championships.
On Tuesday, Lach hit three 3-pointers and finished with 16 points in the eighth-seeded Corsairs’ 58-39 victory over the ninth-seeded Zee-Bees in a Class 4A Carmel Regional semifinal.
The Corsairs (19-11) advance to play No. 1 seed Hersey (25-7), which defeated Waukegan 76-40 in the first semifinal, at 7 p.m. Thursday.
“It was so much fun, just the week leading up to this knowing we were going to play them because we had to show Ranya that she should’ve stayed (at Carmel),” Lach said, smiling.
Lach acknowledged she’s been struggling with her shooting in the past few weeks, partly because of an injured ankle.
“Lately, I feel like I’ve been pretty off, so to hit those (shots) is motivating and gives me a bit more fire than I had before and confidence,” Lach said. “I would say it was one of my better games.”
The Corsairs relied on a balanced effort to knock out the Zee-Bees (16-13). Sophomore center Grace Sullivan scored 14 points, and freshman guard Jordan Wood added 11 points.
“Katie helped us a lot tonight, but I was really proud of our defense,” Carmel coach Ben Berg said.
The 6-foot-4 Wood said Lach’s shooting adds another dimension to Carmel’s offense.
“Katie was definitely on fire,” Wood said.
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Zion-Benton senior forward Morgan Callahan finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots, while senior guard Jayda Mills had 10 points.
“All of their kids showed up on the same night, so credit Carmel,” Zion-Benton coach Tanya Johnson said. “I think we were stunned, but we didn’t quit. These kids were awesome. Having Trinity Walker for four years, she worked her tail off. Callahan and Jamison were great, and Kaylyn Porter comes back from that knee injury to start. She had three surgeries on that (left) knee. I’m really going to miss our seniors.”
“Tough game” for Waukegan: Hersey pulled out all of its starters early in the second half, but Waukegan junior guard Mia Simpson continued to play aggressively until the final seconds.
Simpson, who earned North Suburban Conference honorable mention, finished with 26 points. She was one of the bright spots for the Bulldogs (9-18) this season, averaging 18.1 points and 9.8 rebounds. Simpson bothered the Huskies with her penetration skills and hard-charging attitude.
Waukegan first-year coach Nicole Keith said her team built a solid foundation for future success. The Bulldogs won their first playoff game in several years, defeating Round Lake 51-41 in Monday’s quarterfinal.
“We knew that was going to be a tough game (against Hersey),” Keith said. “I’m proud of the season. We won our first regional game in like 10 years. That’s huge for us. I’m very excited about the future.”
Frank breaks record: Mundelein senior Morgan Frank closed out her four-year career as a varsity starter on a memorable personal note in a Class 4A Lake Zurich Regional quarterfinal loss to Wheeling on Monday.
The Colgate recruit scored nine points to become the all-time leading scorer in program history with 1,557 points, passing the mark previously held by Peggy Koehler.
“It means the world to me that I was able to do it with all of my friends, coaches and family around me,” Frank said. “I think it’s even more special for me because my dad and grandma both are Mundelein High School alums,” Frank said. “The fact that the previous record was held for 36 years before me and I was able to beat it is really special.”
In Class 3A: Wauconda junior forward Kiley Szmajda fell just short of a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and nine blocked shots in a 69-31 win over Harvard in a Class 3A Deerfield Regional semifinal on Tuesday. The Bulldogs (20-6) play host Deerfield (20-12) in the regional championship game at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.