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Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Addison Housh followed Antioch's 2024 run on social media. ‘It's completely different now.' Not for the team.
Antioch sophomore right fielder Addison Housh likes her new vantage point. A year ago, when she played on the junior varsity team, Housh said she watched the Sequoits' run to second place in Class 3A via social media. 'I didn't even go to state, but I paid attention and was really excited for the team,' she said. This season, Housh is one of three Addisons on the varsity team — along with junior catcher Addison Webb and freshman pitcher Addison Osborne – but is making a name for herself and making an impact for the Sequoits. Housh delivered two key hits late in the Class 3A Grayslake Central championship game on Saturday as top-seeded Antioch outlasted second-seeded Carmel for a 13-9 victory. 'It's completely different now for me,' she said. 'I never would have thought that I would be here, making it this far. It's really exciting, and I'm so happy to be playing for this team. It's been really exciting this year.' Like the past four years, the Sequoits (24-13) are sectional champions and will play Prairie Ridge (27-1-1) in the Kaneland Supersectional at 4:30 p.m. Monday with a chance to return to the state semifinals for the fourth straight season. Junior first baseman Sam Hillner led Northern Lake County Conference champion Antioch's offense with four hits, including two homers, and four RBIs. Webb added two hits and three RBIs. Senior shortstop Grace Brown, a St. Joseph's recruit, led Carmel (20-10) with a single, a home run and two RBIs. Housh was heavily involved, too, in a game when the Sequoits needed runs to hold off the high-powered Corsairs, who scored three in each of the fourth, six and seventh innings. She hit a rocket line drive over the third baseman's head on the first pitch of her at-bat in the sixth inning to stretch Antioch's lead to 13-6. She also hit a deep double to left field. 'I was excited to contribute,' Housh said. 'I didn't get hits early in the game, so I knew I had to swing at the first pitch because it was going to be a strike and swing as hard as I could. It was really cool and nice. I want to do the best I can for the team.' Antioch coach Anthony Rocco said Housh is one of several first-year players who have helped bridge the gap after graduation losses. 'Housh does a great job and can play third base for us and also help out at second base,' Rocco said. 'She started the year in a bit of a funk but came back strong. She barely strikes out, which is why we like her in the lineup. She has great power with the ability to drive the ball to all fields. She's also a very good base runner and stealer. 'Her hitting today was key. She was very patient and did a great job for us.' Housh, who also played on the JV volleyball team in the fall, said she has adapted to a new position in the outfield. 'I usually play third base,' she said. 'It's fun. I love outfield, always loved it. It's definitely different, but I'm excited to be playing and supporting the team.' Antioch sophomore outfielder Tegan Schuler said Housh hasn't missed a beat in right. 'She has stepped up a lot on our team,' Schuler said. 'She's able to do a lot of positions and is very athletic, and we have good chemistry in the outfield.' Antioch sophomore second baseman Alyna Matarieh played on the JV team with Housh last season, and they have helped the Sequoits overcome an 0-6 start. 'It's so cool to see Addison succeed in our batting order and help our team out today,' Matarieh said.
Chicago Tribune
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Grayslake Central's Katelyn Marcelain is undaunted in supersectional. ‘Fighting back,' she kindles comeback.
Katelyn Marcelain's nonstop activity is one of the reasons the Grayslake Central girls basketball team has played in two straight supersectionals. When the senior forward is on the court, the Rams connect better, and the whole operation runs more smoothly. 'She just quietly goes about her business,' Grayslake Central coach Steve Ikenn said. 'She goes out there and grinds. She just does whatever we need her to do, and she does it with a smile on her face. People don't realize what she does for us.' The 5-foot-11 Marcelain was both highly visible and highly productive during the Rams' 51-45 loss to Montini in the Class 3A Hersey Supersectional at the Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights on Monday. She seemed to be wherever the action was, getting her finger tips on a loose ball, forcing an opponent into a tough shot or corralling one of her team-high eight rebounds. 'She's always good to make some shots, get some rebounds, get some blocks, play good defense,' Ikenn said. Marcelain's all-around effort helped the Rams (28-6) overcome a 26-8 deficit in a span of nine minutes. She made free throws on two separate trips as Grayslake Central closed the first half with seven straight points. Early in the third quarter, Marcelain hit her fourth 3-pointer of the season and assisted senior forward Madison Hoffmann, who scored a team-high 20 points, on the first of her two 3-pointers. By the time senior guard/forward Annie Wolff scored with two minutes left in the quarter, the Rams were on a 23-3 run and led 31-29. 'Obviously, the offense doesn't run through me, and I've never been a big scorer,' Marcelain said. 'I've always focused on the defense and rebounding. I may not be able to do some of the stuff my teammates can do, but I can help the energy.' Marcelain did that from the opening tip. She chased down a loose ball to extend two of the Rams' first three possessions, and she lofted a perfect entry pass to Hoffmann for the team's first basket on the other possession. On Grayslake Central's fourth possession, Marcelain grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled as she tried to score, leading to two made free throws. 'She makes all of those extra hustle plays,' Ikenn said. Marcelain finished with seven points, three assists and two steals against Montini, which also beat Grayslake Central in the supersectional last year. 'When we cut the lead down and we took the lead, that was really exciting,' Marcelain said. 'At halftime … we knew we'd come back stronger than ever. Take things one possession at a time.' Game after game, Marcelain's teammates know she will have a positive effect. 'We can always depend on her to get rebounds because she never gives up on a play,' junior point guard Mosey Drevline said. 'You always see her on the ground diving for balls. She's so tough, and she never gives up. She just has the heart. She cares about everything so deeply and wants everyone to do well.' Marcelain leaves it all on the court. 'We always have to have positive energy, whether we're down 18 or not,' she said. 'The reason we fought back is because we had that energy, and it's hard to find when you're losing. We cared about one another and wanted the win for us. We proved a lot by fighting back.'
Chicago Tribune
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Grayslake North's Uros Mitrovic isn't the same player this season. ‘No one can stop him.' Not even rival Central.
Grayslake North junior forward Uros Mitrovic has learned how to take advantage of his 6-5, 220-pound frame this season. That's bad news for the Knights' opponents. 'Last year, I wasn't as strong,' Mitrovic said. 'But in the offseason, I really worked on my body. I've gotten faster. I've gotten smarter and become a better passer. 'But since this season started, we had plays for me to post up, and that's become a big part of my game.' That happened repeatedly Wednesday night, when Mitrovic scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the 10th-seeded Knights' 44-40 upset win against fifth-seeded Grayslake Central in a Class 3A Grayslake North Regional semifinal between crosstown rivals. Senior guard Jayden Hunt scored a game-high 16 points as the Knights (17-14), who will play fourth-seeded St. Viator (23-9) in the regional championship game at 6 p.m. Friday, led wire to wire with the exception of one third-quarter possession. Senior guard Brady Ballentine added seven points, including a clutch 3-pointer off a pass from Mitrovic with 3 ½ minutes left that stopped a 7-1 run by the Northern Lake County Conference co-champion Rams (21-10) and pushed the lead to 37-33. 'The pass was good, and our coach drew up a really good play,' Ballentine said. 'I was fortunate enough to knock down the shot, and it helped us keep momentum.' Grayslake Central senior guard Aayan Siddiqui had team highs with 15 points and eight rebounds, and junior guard/forward Cole Halverson added 13 points. Senior center Chris Jaimes, the Rams' leading scorer, got into early foul trouble and was limited to five points. Mitrovic, who is averaging 14.1 points and needs 21 to reach 1,000 in his career, often has free rein in the paint. But his perimeter game is still there. He hit a 3-pointer at the end of the first half, the kind of shot that harks back to his previous two seasons. 'He's a completely different player,' Hunt said. 'I've seen so much progress from where he started to where he is now. Freshman year, he was a spot-up shooter. But now no one can stop him without fouling him. Now he can get you a bucket in any way. It makes it easy to play with.' Mitrovic has made it easier on himself, too, with a better understanding of the game. 'Every time they double me in the post, as soon as I see it, as soon as I feel it, I turn around and I look for the open guy,' he said. 'Last year, I wouldn't realize what I was doing when the ball came down to me. Now, if it's not there, it's a team sport, and you have to pass the ball.' Grayslake North coach Josh Feinzimer has seen every version of Mitrovic in three seasons. 'I've seen Uros mature,' Feinzimer said. 'When things got tough early in his career and early this season, he'd react sometimes. We talk about responding and not reacting. Tonight, with all that went on, all the adversity, he responded to those plays and moved on to the next play and showed what a tough kid he is.' It always seems to come back to that for Mitrovic, who is already eyeing another busy offseason to refine things even further. But the Knights have unfinished business. They'll try to win their first-ever regional title on the heels of an emotional victory. 'It got crazy, especially down the stretch,' Mitrovic said. 'It means everything. We had to step up with high intensity. This was a team effort.'
