Cary-Grove overcomes adversity to beat Wauconda in sectional semifinal

NORTH CHICAGO – Cary-Grove’s thrilling 46-41 Class 3A North Chicago Sectional semifinal win over Wauconda on Tuesday wasn’t a sure thing until the game’s waning moments.

That’s when Trojans senior guard Alivia Nielsen picked off a Bulldogs pass with nine seconds to play, and in the blink of an eye, the concerned looks on the C-G players' faces washed away into oblivion.

Those were replaced with sheer joy.

“Just a massive feeling of relief,” Nielsen said. “We faced so much adversity all game and the way we responded was amazing.”

Adversity may be an understatement.

The No. 2 seed Trojans (25-7) were without star senior center Ellie Mjaanes nearly the entire second quarter due to foul trouble. It was a big reason why No. 3 seed Wauconda (24-4) ripped down 18 offensive rebounds – nine in each half.

Cary-Grove led by five points in both the second and third quarters, which was the largest lead by either team.

But the Trojans watched the Bulldogs execute an 8-0 run to finish the third, and C-G’s 12-for-35 shooting mark from the field up until that point wasn’t helping its cause.

“I thought we defended extremely well, that definitely wasn’t our issue,” Wauconda coach Jaime Dennis said. “Mjaanes was a handful. There’s not much you can do to slow her down.”

Mjaanes tallied an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, adding a pair of blocks.

But it’s what her and her teammates did down the stretch that stood out most.

The Trojans shot 11 of 12 from the foul line in the fourth quarter, including a pair from Mjaanes with 2:25 remaining that gave C-G the lead for good.

“It’s obviously a little nerve racking, especially in a situation and atmosphere like this,” Mjaanes said. “Our last (potential) high school game was on the line. But we’re a confident team. I was just trying to mentally drown out all the noise.”

Noise was something senior teammate Kennedy Manning made plenty of on the court, symbolically and literally.

She had three first half 3-pointers, four rebounds and four assists. But she was tough as nails defensively with five steals, and was part of the reason Wauconda shot just 33% (5 for 15) in the third, then 9.1% (1 for 11) during the final eight minutes.

“Our defense was 100% important,” Manning said. “Without that, we couldn’t have won because Wauconda is so good at penetrating the lane. It would’ve been a totally different ballgame if we didn’t stick with our zone assignments and help each other out.”

The Trojans advance to face No. 1 seed Grayslake Central in Thursday’s sectional title game after the Rams held on to beat St. Viator 52-43 in the other semifinal.

Trojans coach Tony Moretti knows his team will need to tighten some things up in their next game if they hope to advance to the supersectional.

“The good thing is we have an extra day of practice to figure that out now,” Moretti said. “We’re going to do our best to be prepared, and hopefully we have our A-game ready to go against Grayslake.”

Senior Sam Skerl (13 points) was stellar in the clutch for C-G, sinking all six of her fourth-quarter free throws, including a pair with 1:17 left, then two more with 56.9 to play.

Both times, it turned a one-possession game into a two-possession game.

“Just fabulous effort down the stretch by these girls,” Moretti said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them right now. This was an incredibly physical game.”

Wauconda gave a tremendous effort as well.

Emma Wisniewski (five points, eight rebounds), Grace Parker (eight points, nine rebounds), Sarah Palmer (eight points, seven rebounds) and Alexia Manalo (nine points, seven rebounds, six steals, three assists) led Wauconda.

“We just didn’t execute. We committed 21 turnovers and only had seven assists,” Dennis said. “That’s not like us. But these girls gave it their all. A tough way to end our season. The seniors on our roster have been with us since they were freshmen. Losing them is going to be tough. But I’m proud of every single one of our players.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/2025/02/26/cary-grove-overcomes-adversity-to-beat-wauconda-in-sectional-semifinal/