Girls basketball: Katie Hamill sets Crystal Lake Central scoring record in FVC win over Dundee-Crown

CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake Central senior Katie Hamill has the unique ability to make even the most difficult shots look easy.

If you’ve caught the Tigers’ 5-foot-8 guard at any point over the past four years, there’s a good chance you’ve seen something out of the ordinary.

All those buckets added up in a hurry for Hamill, who broke a 43-year-old record Thursday to become the school’s all-time leading scorer in a 47-30 Fox Valley Conference win over Dundee-Crown.

Hamill tossed in a game-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting and now has 1,729 career points in her four-year varsity career. Cheri Bacon, a 1981 Central graduate who has since passed away, previously held the record with 1,704 points.

“It’s really crazy,” said Hamill, who will play next year at NCAA Division II Missouri-St. Louis. “I never thought about it, but it feels good because I know I’ve had teammates that appreciated me, and they feel good for me, too. They’re the reason I’ve scored that much.”

After Thursday’s performance, Hamill is averaging an area-best 22.8 points a game for the Tigers (19-9, 13-4 FVC). She also leads her team in rebounds, steals, assists and 3-pointers.

Hamill reached the scoring milestone despite playing in only five games as a freshman during the COVID-19-shortened season. She had a steal and coasted in for a layup with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter against D-C to break Bacon’s record.

Central coach Derek Crabill has watched Hamill grow into a more complete player every year.

He noted how during her freshman year, Hamill didn’t really have a 3-point shot. “It was toes on the line,” he said.

“It’s just a pretty special moment for her,” Crabill said. “She’s a special kid, and I think what people don’t see are those hours that she spends in the gym or down in the basement working on skills on her own time. I don’t think people understand how much time she’s put in.

“She just has a nose for the ball and wants the ball. Tonight she got hot early and kind of took everyone on her back and said, ‘Let’s go.’”

Dundee-Crown (6-21, 5-12) was led by senior forward Monica Sierzputowski with eight points and sophomore Olivia Rodriguez with six.

For Central, junior Leah Spychala had seven points, sophomore Ruby Macke had six points and five rebounds, and senior Addison Cleary chipped in four points and four assists.

Cleary said Hamill has been a great teammate.

“I love Katie,” Cleary said. “We look to each other to calm each other down, and it’s just fun to play with someone with that much knowledge and that much talent. She sets the tone for us, and she holds us all accountable. She’s there to have fun, but she’s also a killer on the court.”

Vicki Hamill, Katie’s mom and an assistant at Central, has been a coach for all three of her daughters. Katie is Vicki’s youngest daughter.

“We both have big personalities, so you’d think sometimes we’d clash, but me letting her be her and her letting me be me as a coach has been a lot of fun,” Vicki Hamill said. “I’m very lucky. I think we’ve both learned to play with a lot more joy.”

The Tigers will try to secure their 20th victory of the season Friday night as they host crosstown rival Crystal Lake South in a regular-season finale. Central earned the area’s only No. 1 seed and will play No. 6 Woodstock or No. 8 Harvard in a Class 3A Woodstock Regional semifinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Central last won a regional title in 2019.

With Katie Hamill leading the way, the Tigers will look to end the drought.

“I think we’re capable of anything,” Hamill said. “If we play how we can play, there’s nothing that can stop us.”