One second, Stevenson had the ball and was setting up its offense. A blink of an eye later, Libertyville senior Will Buchert was at the other end of the court, dropping in a layup after stealing the ball.
Then it happened again. Then one more time. It wasn’t by chance.
‘‘I’d watched a lot of film and knew some of their actions,’’ Buchert said. ‘‘On our hot stretch, I’ve been able to get steals and easy baskets to start us off.’’
The Patriots kept that from happening in the second half, but Wildcats senior Aidyn Boone heated up from three-point range. That was too much to overcome, and No. 22 Libertyville knocked off Stevenson 62-53 on Saturday in Lincolnshire.
Buchert scored 20 points, and Boone added 18 points and seven rebounds.
‘‘Will’s very quick, and he’s got a good first step and good control of his body,’’ Wildcats coach Brian Zyrkowski said. ‘‘Even if he misses the steal, he’s hard to back-door because he’s so quick.’’
Buchert suffered an ankle injury Nov. 22 against Evanston and missed the next five games. Libertyville lost to Loyola and Palatine during that stretch and was 3-3 after six games. The Wildcats haven’t lost since.
Libertyville returned four starters from a team that lost to Barrington in the sectional final last season, so all this success shouldn’t be a surprise now that everyone is healthy.
‘‘When we run our sets and something might not work, they find the next option,’’ Zyrkowski said. ‘‘They understand the game because they’ve played in big games.’’
The Wildcats (15-3, 5-0 North Suburban) led by seven points at halftime. The Patriots (13-3, 5-1) cut their deficit to four midway through the third quarter before Boone made two three-pointers to put Libertyville back in control.
A three-pointer by junior Jack Dabbs pulled Stevenson to five midway through the fourth quarter, but Boone made another three-pointer to extend the Wildcats’ lead.
‘‘I was a little off during the Wheeling tournament, but I’m coming back with a vengeance,’’ Boone said.
Libertyville upset Glenbrook North to win the Wheeling tournament over the holidays, and Buchert was the MVP.
‘‘This group competes and comes ready to go every single night,’’ Zyrkowski said. ‘‘They are trying to prove everybody wrong, and they may do it.’’
Senior Cole Bonder added nine points and senior Jack Huber eight for the Wildcats. Another senior, Kaj Sorenson, rounds out the starting lineup. Freshman Blaise LaVista gave Libertyville solid minutes off the bench in the first half.
‘‘We’ve played together for a while, and we have a great connection,’’ Boone said. ‘‘Most of us were here last year and went through that playoff run, and over the summer and during the season we’ve connected with the younger guys.’’
Dabbs, senior David Sulnius and sophomore Aidan Bardic each scored 12 points for the Patriots. Junior Christian Uremovich added 11 points.
Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose clearly trusts freshman Rocco Pagliocca, who was on the court in crunch time at the end.
‘‘I’m proud of our guys for digging in and not giving up,’’ Ambrose said. ‘‘It’s tough to lose at home. We thought we were ready to go, but credit to Libertyville. They shot really well, and they have big, strong kids.’’
