With the start of the winter sports season, the Varsity Girls Basketball team has begun to prove themselves as a respectable, competitive program with hard work and dedication in the Thanksgiving Vernon Hills High School Tournament.

  The Caxys started off the tournament (and their season) with a heavy 38-68 loss to Vernon Hills High School on Monday, November 12.

  Although it was severe, no loss could dampen the Caxys’ integrity. Two days later, they were back in the same gym, but with a new competitor — Lake Forest High School. The long-lasting LFA vs LFHS rivalry was ever-present. Last year, in the same tournament, the Caxys beat the Scouts after a very hard fought game. This year, it was, again, a very hard-fought game – one in which both teams battled until the end.  Unfortunately, small mistakes in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter eventually lead to a heartbreaking 40 – 41 loss.

  Even though the LFHS game was a tough loss, it showed much improvement from the Caxys’ defeat on Monday against Vernon Hills High School.

  “Monday being our first game was tough, but we improved a lot in our game on Wednesday, and made some really big adjustments… We passed the ball more, had a lot more patience, and had confidence in our teammates, and we were much more aggressive,” remarked Head Coach Erica Wood.

  The week of Thanksgiving, the Caxys played three more games against Antioch High School, Sycamore High School, and Elk Grove High School. The Caxy’s lost to Sycamore 29 – 58 , but won their last two games when they beat Antioch 44 – 44 on a buzzerbeater by Senior Captain Kelsi Jackson, and won to Elk Grove 49 – 35 to end the tournament.

  It’s important to note that Caxys rarely play the teams in this tournament in their regular season. This is mainly because those who participate in the VHHS tournament are big, public high schools, with LFA being the smallest of the five and the only independent, private school. But that’s why it’s so important for the Caxys to participate in such a tournament.

  “It’s a good tournament to immediately see growth. It forces us to make adjustments quickly. If we started our season playing smaller schools, it would allow us to ease back and become overly confident. The teams in this tournament immediately show us what our weakness are and give us a really good idea on how to develop throughout the rest of the season,” remarked Wood.

  The Caxys have many more games over the next three months, where they will continue to learn and grow as players. If anything, the VHHS Tournament has shown that the Caxys have real potential for the upcoming season.

  “I think it’s a really good team. But our main thing will be to to work on our chemistry, communication, and confidence in one another,” observed Wood.