LAKE FOREST — Despite an 18-4 record in the middle of January for the girl’s basketball team, there is a glaring concern surrounding the Scouts.

Injuries.

Lots and lots of injuries.

It started right around the end of the Montini Catholic Christmas tournament when junior point guard Molly Fisher dislocated her shoulder and was expected to miss three weeks. Later, sophomore Tricia Gray broke her nose after being hit inadvertently by a Finola Summerville elbow in practice leaving her out since the beginning of January.

And then Wednesday happened, where two starters in Olivia Witte and Finola Summerville went down with injuries. Witte “reportedly” tore her LCL (lateral collateral ligament) and if she does not need surgery she will miss the next 4-6 weeks. Summerville has a sprained ankle, which is a day-to-day injury, but as of the time of this writing, she is yet to be cleared by doctors.

So if we’re sitting in the same position as we’re right now tomorrow afternoon when the Scouts travel to Hersey, the Scouts will be down three starters from their opening night lineup. Hopefully by the time Scouts return home on Tuesday against Glenbrook South, Summerville will be back on the court.

This number of injuries to key players on any basketball team is concerning, but fortunately for the Scouts, the players that have filled in for the missing players have stepped up big when they’ve needed to.

Every coach has used the phrase “next man up” at least once in their coaching career and when it comes to that mentality on this Scouts team, they thrive in it.

Look at Bella Ranallo, a freshman guard who has been inserted into Fisher’s spot in the rotation. While Ranallo hasn’t put up the high scoring totals that Fisher is capable of doing, the freshman has gotten better and better with more experience. In the Scouts loss to Libertyville on Wednesday, Ranallo filled in as a third option with Witte out and dropped 8 points, her second-highest scoring game of the season behind her 12 point performance in her debut against Vernon Hills.

Other players like freshman Rachel Kaus and junior Mary McKendry have also stepped up in big ways. Kaus’ size helps her be a success on the boards and McKendry brings tenacious defense and great energy to the team when she is on the court. Emory Homan and Lilly Trkla also provide help off the bench with the depth being depleted due to these injuries.

So in conclusion, the Scouts are not done because they’re missing some key pieces. While Witte is going to miss the remainder of the regular season and probably the playoffs, Fisher and Summerville will be back and the Scouts have plenty of depth at the forward positions. Plus, don’t forget they still have Halle Douglass who has shown us all that she is capable of carrying this team when they’re having an off-night.

Keep your heads up Scouts fans, this team is still good and they’re going to be alright.