LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.–The 14th time was the charm for head coach Kyle Wilhelm. The now seasoned head coach ventured west to Lincolnshire last night with his team in search of their first win in their last 14 tries against their bitter rival. Tuesday night, however, the Scouts came through, outlasting the Patriots in a 30-27 victory that featured physical, tough girls basketball.

The Scouts (19-7, 8-2) were paced by sophomore Halle Douglass, who came through in the clutch to score 8 of her team-high 12 points in the fourth quarter of play while Grace Tirzmalis added 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. With an (8-2) conference record, the Scouts now find themselves tied for second in the North Suburban Conference with Stevenson. That said, they have the opportunity on Saturday to take down Warren, who boasts a 9-1 record in conference play. Of course, the Blue Devils’ only conference loss this season came at the hands of the Scouts in east Lake Forest on December 8. In the Scouts’ 39-31 victory in their first conference meeting, Halle Douglass and junior Grace Tirzmalis each scored 13 points as the Scouts used a 28-15 first half to power them to victory. Since that point, the Blue Devils have won 12 of their last 13 games, including a 39-23 win over the Scouts in non-NSC play in the Blue Devil Holiday Classic.

Saturday night’s game is preluded by the boys match-up at 5:30, but if the Scouts can earn a W in the 7:00 primetime match-up they will be in the driver’s seat to win the coveted NSC title as they will only have three conference games (Libertyville, Lake Zurich, and Zion-Benton) left to play.