Freshman Jiselle Lopez shines defensively, helps lift Hampshire past Crystal Lake South

CRYSTAL LAKE – If anyone can outrun Hampshire freshman Jiselle Lopez from one end of the court to the other, Whip-Purs coach Eric Samuelson hasn’t seen it.

“She’s probably the most athletic kid we’ve had, just pure athleticism, since [2021 graduate Kelby] Bannerman,” Samuelson said of the 5-foot-8 guard. “Great shooter. She can really sprint the floor. She’s never lost a wind-sprint this year in practice.

“She’s got nothing but upside.”

Lopez, in her first year, has already earned the responsibility of matching up against the opposing team’s best offensive players.

On Tuesday, the calm and cool Lopez was up to the challenge again.

Lopez helped lead a strong defensive effort all around for the Whip-Purs, who turned a one-point deficit at the half into a 58-43 win over Crystal Lake South in Fox Valley Conference action.

“She can sprint the floor, she’s never lost a wind-sprint this year in practice. She’s got nothing but upside.”

—  Eric Samuelson, Hampshire coach on freshman Jiselle Lopez

Lopez and junior guard Mikala Amegasse (game-high 20 points, five rebounds, four assists) took turns guarding freshman Gaby Dzik and junior Laken LePage, South’s top scorers, in a triangle-and-2 defense early on to try and force someone else to beat them.

South led 24-23 on a pull-up 3 from LePage right before halftime, her only basket in the first half, but the Whips’ defense really started to take over after that.

Hampshire (9-10, 5-3 FVC) started to pull away with a 9-0 run to start the third quarter, with Lopez (five points) scoring two baskets during the key stretch.

Lopez looks right at home on the varsity court.

“Coming in after playing eighth-grade basketball and having to guard the best offensive player on the other team, knowing I can stick with them no matter their age or grade makes me feel real good,” Lopez said.

“We had Mikala, too, and it was overall just an amazing team defense. I’m pretty sure the defense won the game for us.”

Another underclassman, sophomore Peyton McCarthy, also played a key role on defense in the win. When the Whips' triangle-and-2 defense led to some open looks for South sophomore guard Makena Cleary (team-high 16 points, four 3s), Samuelson called on McCarthy to slow her down.

Not only did McCarthy (six points) help take away some of those 3s, but the 5-foot-3 guard finished with a game-high four blocks.

McCarthy, too, is a first-year varsity player.

“It’s definitely a lot different from playing at the JV level,” McCarthy said. “Girls are a lot more athletic. It’s definitely just a lost faster pace, bigger and stronger girls.”

As for McCarthy’s four blocks?

“No, I’ve never had that many,” McCarthy said. “[Cleary] came out and hit some shots, so I was assigned to step up. I did that to help the team. Our team defense led to our offense.”

Senior forward Chloe Van Horn was second on the Whips with 17 points and nine rebounds while senior Autumn Kriegel chipped in six points on two 3s.

Dzik finished with 14 points and three 3s for South (9-8, 4-3), scoring seven straight points for her team in the second quarter to turn a 16-14 deficit into a 19-18 lead. Two of her baskets were one-handed shots with a hand in her face, including one with her left hand. She also sank a long 3 past the top of the key.

“That kid, she can score,” Samuelson said. “She threw some up where I don’t know if we could have defended her better, and she still made them.”

LePage finished with seven points and Tessa Melhuish hauled in eight rebounds for South, which was outscored 35-19 in the second half.

South coach Mark Mucha said the Gators had to adjust quickly when they saw what the Whips were trying to do defensively. He felt Cleary and Addison Schwab (four points) both stepped up offensively.

“It throws things off,” Mucha said. “A lot of our offense runs through Gaby and Laken. When they’re being guarded as good as they were today, it puts a wrinkle in our offense.

“I give our kids credit for never preparing against something along those lines. We were able to figure some things out and have some success. We just ran into a hot-shooting team in the second half.”