LAKE FOREST, IL. – Revenge is a beautiful thing when it comes to sports. And when it’s against a bitter rival, on your home court, it make matters even sweeter. In what was their first taste of home play on the year, the Lake Forest Varsity Girls’ Basketball team was able to even out the season series with conference rival Libertyville at one apiece with an assertive 58-38 win.

The first few minutes of play saw little scoring from either side, as the Wildcats found themselves enveloped in an overall off-night of shooting, going 1-14 from the floor in the first quarter alone. Trailing the home team by a score of 9-3, their offensive struggles continued as they only connected on 3-11 of their takes, entering the break with an eleven point deficit. The Scouts led at the half, 21-10.

After falling to Libertyville by 17 points earlier in November, head coach Kyle Wilhelm’s group came out with an unmatchable energy following the break, determined not to let history repeat itself. Implementing a full court press midway through the third quarter, the Wildcats were able to force several turnovers. Though as the second half ensued, the Scouts became more accustomed to the break and were soon able to seamlessly beat it, finding an open jersey in white for an easy basket. What once proved to be an efficient way for the visitors to get the ball back eventually ended up hurting them more in the end, as Lake Forest went on a punishing 20-4 run to close out the game.

In short, Lake Forest dominated their rival on all cylinders. On the night, the team shot an even 50% (22-44) over the course of the game. Three of the Scouts scored in double figures. Sophomore Finola Summerville led the team in scoring, totalling 16 points on a perfect 7-7 shooting from the field. Junior Halle Douglass and senior Grace Tirzmalis put up 15 and 12 points respectively.

Losing back-to-back games for the first time this season, Libertyville falls to 13-6, 7-2 on the season, while the Scouts improve to 16-4, 6-2 and extend their win streak to nine games. Winning their first of 12 games at home to close out the regular season, Lake Forest eyes Saturday’s matchup at home versus Hersey (11-7). The two teams tip-off at 5:30 pm in the Competition Gym.