Lake Zurich girls basketball season preview

Lake Zurich Bears

2014-15 record (13-16)
Coach: Chris Bennett 
Key losses: Rachel Dawson, Megan Holbrook, Elly Daleske, Allison Trybula
Key returning players: Abby Pirron (Sr./G), Rachel Kuehr (Sr./G), Frankie Nasca (Sr./G), Vanessa DiVincenzo (Sr./G), Grace Kinsey (So./F/C), McKenna Zoebel (So./F/C)

 

 

The Bears, who return nine varsity players from a year ago, could be one of the area's sleeper teams.

 

Expect coach Chris Bennett to play an up-tempo style when the opportunity arises, as the Bears figure to be more guard-oriented than they were a season ago in part out of necessity.

 

Senior guards Frankie Nasca (5-3) and Vanessa DiVincenzo (5-2) may lack height, but their experience, awareness and keen passing skills should be a huge asset.

 

When the Bears want to add height at their guard spots, look for seasoned veteran seniors Abby Pirron (5-9) and Rachel Kuehr (5-6) to give Bennett ample options.

 

Despite the added emphasis on guard play, Lake Zurich has several talented post players. Among them are sophomores McKenna Zoebel (5-11) and Grace Kinsey (5-10), who both logged important, skill-building minutes at the varsity level a year ago.

 

Bennett noted during the summer that there could also be a few freshmen who make the varsity team.

 

"The key word is 'could,' " Bennett noted at the time.

 

Insight: "I think our division could be up for grabs this year," Kinsey said during the summer.

 

Lake Zurich returns players who proved a year ago they can impact the varsity game in a big way, and with an extra year under their collective belts, this could be a team that catches some off-guard.

 

Remember, this is a Bears team that took sectional qualifier Buffalo Grove (21-11 in 2014-15) to the wire in the playoffs last year, losing by just four points. They played fearless, confident basketball despite having a losing record and going through a few slumps, and gave NSC Lake champion Stevenson -- and Mundelein -- fits in stretches during the regular season. Defense will be the key, as Bennett thinks his team is in any game where they can hold the opposition under 40 points.